Explanations Are Hard
by Concolor44
Summary: Finally tiring of the animosity between them, Raven convinces Zatanna to meet under truce and talk out their differences. But more than one surprise lay in store for them. Rated T because I'm paranoid.
1. Burying the Hatchet

**Explanations Are Hard**

By Concolor44

_A/N: This plot bunny was birthed after reading "Forward Motion" by liron-aria, so if you don't like it … well, I guess it's still my fault anyway. Can't blame her. But in ANY case, you should go read that story. It has no direct bearing on this one, so WHEN you read it isn't important. Just read it. Oh, and read her other Titans story, too: "Strength Lies Therein". Seriously, her work rocks._

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**Chapter One: Burying the Hatchet**

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_Jeremiah State Park  
><span>__165km northeast of Jump City  
><span>__2:00pm_

Zatanna stared in poorly-masked surprise at the figure standing before her. "I was almost sure you wouldn't come."

"I was serious about getting past this."

"Apparently."

Shrugging in the direction of a small, domed building, Raven asked, "Is that it?"

The other magic-user nodded, smirking. "It will completely damp any and all demonic spells."

Much to Zatanna's incredulity, Raven walked toward it. "Let's get started then."

"… You really have no objections?"

The shorter woman turned and gazed levelly at the _Homo Magus_. "You do not trust me. You also do not like me, but that isn't really my problem or my concern. Being liked, I can take or leave, since there are, truthfully, a great MANY people who do not like me. However, the Titans need, from time to time, to work closely with the League. Trust is not negotiable. If one of **you** has serious trust issues with one of **us**, it may jeopardize the positive outcomes of our joint missions."

"Huh." Zatanna thought that over. "That's not what I was expecting you to say."

"You may encounter several things today that you were not expecting." She turned and walked to the door of the hemispherical structure. "I assume this is only the top half?"

"… Yes."

"Good. So you've duplicated the Wheel of Intransigence."

That DID shock Zatanna. "You know about that?"

"There is a small version of this in the basement of Titans' Tower."

Zatanna's mouth opened and closed a couple of times.

"Yes. I had Victor install it as a sort of … last resort." She laid a hand on the portal's frame, examining the lustrous polish on the metal. "Is this … a zirconium alloy?"

"How did you … um … maybe."

"Good choice." She sighed. "I've not needed to use our room THAT way, but it has been a source of comfort to know that I could go there if I ever thought I was about to bring harm to my family."

"… Your family?"

"The Titans."

Her mouth drawing into a thin line, the taller woman said, "So the danger IS something you are aware of."

"Aware of?" Raven's lips twitched in one of her almost-smiles. "_Aware of_. My, my. As much information as the League has amassed on me, and you still don't realize something that basic." She gave her head a small, disbelieving shake. "As I said: you may see many surprising things today." She pulled the portal open and walked in.

Zatanna quickly followed. Raven was looking around at the space, examining the runes and materials the other had used, and finally nodding. "You really did your research. This is nice work."

Still not quite believing that Raven would voluntarily give up access to her magic, Zatanna pulled the doorway shut and cycled the lock. Sending Raven a sidelong glance, she asked, "You ready?"

In answer, the empath sat on the floor in the middle of the room, crossed her legs and closed her eyes. "Ready."

Taking off her hat and making several complex gestures over it, the other magic-user began speaking in a rapid monotone as she went through the ritual, facing in the four cardinal directions in sequence. The runes began lighting up one by one until about half of them were glowing. Then they all flashed white and faded to a steady, light blue luminescence.

Raven visibly sagged.

Zatanna walked over to stand in front of her, arms crossed, examining her closely. "Your aura changed. A lot."

"That's … to be expected." She drew several deep, cleansing breaths and looked up at the taller woman. "Now … whoosh … I beg your pardon, that's a very jarring experience. Now, I also noticed that you placed a truth spell in among the runes."

Successfully repressing a gasp, Zatanna paused before responding, "And you didn't object?"

"Obviously not."

"… Why are you _**really**_ doing this?"

"I told you. I can't afford to have the League …"

"Yes, yes. I know. You told me that. But here's the thing. When people do something … _important_, let's say, they will have two reasons for doing so: a good reason, and the real reason."

A grin ghosted its way across Raven's face. "I used that line on Gar not three days ago."

"Gar?"

"Sorry. Beast Boy."

"… Oh. He's named after a fish?"

"It's short for Garfield. That's his first name."

She snorted. "Like the cartoon cat?"

"That comparison gets him exercised like you wouldn't believe."

Zatanna reflected that her, ah, guest had been right about one thing. She was certainly seeing a side of Raven she'd never suspected existed. "You call him Gar? So does he call you Rae?"

"He does now. I used to be a bit sensitive about that."

"Really. What changed?"

"We are dating now."

The Magus practically had to scoop her jaw up off the floor. Finally she offered, "Either the Titans are very good at keeping secrets, or Batman doesn't tell me squat."

Raven merely shrugged. Clearing her throat, she said, "Why don't you go ahead and ask your question?"

"Does this," the other answered, using a hand to wave around at the enclosure, "make you uncomfortable?"

"For select definitions of 'uncomfortable', yes. But in larger terms, it's actually kind of a relief."

"… Um …"

"You know I have a demonic lineage."

"Yes."

"That's why you tossed me out on my ear when I first got to Earth and came to the League for help."

"Well … yes. The first rule of dealing with the Devil, and all."

Raven didn't turn a hair at that comment. "And you had some pretty firmly-set prejudices to begin with."

"… How did you …"

"Information on the _Magi_ isn't that hard to come by if you know where to look. Your grandmother's village was destroyed by a demon. I can't say I wouldn't have acted as you did in your place. Still," and she stared at the floor and shook her head, "so much grief could have been avoided."

"Grief? On whose part?"

A dry chuckle escaped the empath. "Everyone's." Catching Zatanna's eye, she elaborated, "What I was trying to avoid … came true anyway."

"What do you mean? What were you trying to avoid?"

"Apparently the Titans really ARE quite good at keeping secrets."

"To wit? You can't be trying to lie."

"Oh, I'm not. I just find it … _amusing_ that the League would be so short on information, given all the effort they put into keeping tabs on us."

"So fill in the blanks."

"You're relatively up on your demonology, aren't you?"

"I'd like to think so."

"But you couldn't tell who my progenitor was, could you?"

"No. And that irked me."

"Do you know why?"

"I didn't at the time, but now I figure it's probably because he was very powerful."

"Correct. My Sire is Trigon the Terrible."

Then it was Zatanna's turn to sit down … hard. She stared at Raven for several long breaths. "Trigon."

"Yes."

"Dimension-hopping demon lord? Master of the alternate plane some humans call Hell?"

"Correct, but the Plane in question is called the Eighth Circle."

"Right. Circle. And he's … sort of the sum of all evil of an entire world, right?"

"You DO know your demonology."

"How in the hell did …"

Forestalling her questions, Raven gave Zatanna a thumbnail rundown of the events leading up to and following Trigon's invasion of Earth, through to his ultimate defeat and her regression to childhood. "And then after Robin found me and got us both back to Earth, I was restored to my correct age. And here we are."

"And no one remembers this because the world got … remade, so to speak?"

"Yes."

"You must realize how unlikely that story sounds."

"Of course."

"And yet … you can't lie in here."

"Also correct."

The _Magus_ had to take a minute to process everything she'd just learned. At length she nodded to herself. "You were afraid to tell us."

"I was afraid of my shadow. I didn't tell the Titans, either, and they had more of a right to know than anyone else."

"Huh."

They sat in silence for another minute or so before Zatanna said, "Well now I feel like kind of a heel."

"You shouldn't." Raven closed her eyes and leaned back on her elbows. "It was an untenable situation for everyone. And it did work out on a positive note. Eventually."

"No thanks to me."

"Actually, having had some time to think on it, your manic distrust and open contempt worked to spur me on. I mean … it could be that … Okay. I don't know for sure that things would have worked out better if the League had been backing me. I was really only able to do what I did for the Titans because we had grown so … so very close." Turning her violet gaze back to Zatanna, she added, "I don't know that it would have been possible for me to get as … _attached_ to Superman and Wonder Woman and J'onn J'onzz."

"To say nothing of me."

"Yes. To say nothing."

"But … you love the Titans?"

"I do."

"I really wouldn't have thought it possible that you could _**love**_ anyone. Demons …"

"Demons are incapable of love. That is true. But I am half human. And I have spent my entire conscious life in an effort to control and cage and distance myself from my demonic side."

"Sounds … hard."

"In a word, very."

"Okay, so … so … huh."

"What? You are radiating confusion at almost painful levels."

"How can you sense that? This chamber …"

"Stops demonic magic. My empathy is not demonic in nature."

"… Huh."

"My connection to my soul-self, however, is completely dead right now."

"That's the semi-telekinetic black energy you use?"

"Yes."

"So it IS demonic."

"Yes. After a fashion."

"Hmm. I guess you wouldn't be much use to your team if you excised your demonic half."

"While true, that doesn't mean I wouldn't do it in a second if I could."

Zatanna rose to her feet and began pacing the short distance across the chamber. "So do you consider yourself more human or more demon?"

"I consider myself unique. While it's not uncommon for demons to impregnate human women, it is VERY uncommon for those offspring to live very long. Demons have a … well, a hatred for half-breeds that humans typically find difficult to grasp. The demon sire usually hunts the child down and kills it, and if that _**doesn't**_ happen, some representative of the dominant local organization that espouses a systematic theology will find out about it and kill it himself. Trigon had a specific end in mind for me, which is why he didn't kill me right away. However, my position as the Gem of Scath meant that I WOULD die when he came through. That was part of the deal. If the monks of Azarath had been able to kill me without fear of bringing on Trigon's advent, I feel sure they would have strangled me at birth. And I wouldn't have held it against them."

"You say that now. But the fact that you never tried to kill yourself …"

"Oh, I certainly thought about it. A lot. But the monks insisted that would only play into Trigon's hands, so I forbore."

"I see."

"So. Have I answered the questions you wanted to ask?"

"Why did you go with Robin? Why not someone else?"

"… Oh. Why did I want him to be a part of the team?"

"Yeah. He's not super-powered."

"True enough. Yet he manages to hold his own against an awfully long list of those who are."

"You didn't know that."

"No. But I wanted him for his leadership ability."

"So you never wanted to be the leader yourself? That seems …"

"I'm not a leader. I'm a big-picture planner. I wanted a team that could successfully oppose Trigon, and that's about as detailed as I get most of the time. When it comes to making good decisions on the fly, in the midst of battle, I do rather poorly."

"Not that I've noticed."

"That's Robin's influence. His tactics and forethought in all our practice sessions pay off handsomely when we fight."

"So it would appear."

Raven gave her an expectant look. "Anything else?"

A tapping foot was the only sound for the length of several breaths. "I guess not. You've been more than forthright with … Oh, wait. Trigon."

"What about him?"

"Is he dead?"

Raven had to smirk at that. "To quote one of my favorite TV shows, 'dead-ish'."

"… What does _**that**_ mean?"

"It means that when a being is that powerful, there isn't really a feasible method for making sure he doesn't exist anymore."

"So he's not dead."

"Not in the strictest of senses."

"… Meaning?"

"I was able to separate him from his power source. That made him very weak, comparatively speaking. The Titans distracted him and wore him down, and I, ah, got the drop on him, you could say."

"But you didn't kill him?"

"Zatanna … tell me: what happens when a human dies?"

"… Well … In the most basic terms, the soul and the body part ways."

"Correct. And the body, bereft of its motivating spark, decays and eventually disappears. But what happens to the soul?"

"Ahm … That depends on a lot of factors."

"Just so. Now, imagine, if you will, a human whose physical form is nothing more than a construct of solidified mental patterns."

"… Huh. Okay. That's Trigon?"

"Essentially. He had a body because he _**wanted**_ to have a body. His soul exists as a unitized, functional, fully mobile platform in its own right. And as you know, a soul is a very, very durable thing."

"That … is so."

"So when you ask whether Trigon is dead, you will need to establish the true parameters of your question a lot more rigorously than you would if you ask whether any random, relatively-anonymous human is dead."

"I can see that. Now that we've established his basic durability, let me phrase it this way: Is Trigon able at all to interact with our dimension?"

"No."

"Not at all?"

"Not at all."

"Okay, good. Do you know where … where his 'essence' is located?"

"In a very, very small pocket dimension that no one apart from myself knows about."

"And he can't get out?"

"Probably not."

"I'm not comfortable with 'probably'."

"Neither am I. But there is little that I can do about that. He is shorn of his strength. He has no access to additional power sources. The Church of Blood has been disbanded, and Brother Blood killed." She directed half a smirk at the _Magus_. "And by that, I mean he's sincerely dead."

"That's good to know. When did he die?"

"About … six months ago, give or take."

"Do you know the particulars?"

"I do. But I'd rather you didn't ask me who killed him or how I know. It's not my story to tell."

"I can live with that. But what you said implies that there is some way Trigon could free himself."

"No. Not by himself. But if some outside agency discovered his whereabouts, and was able to craft the right sorts of spells to pierce the dimensional fold, and was able to feed him enough power … he could probably escape."

"That sounds far-fetched."

"I'm hoping it won't happen until after matter ceases to exist in this reality."

Zatanna gave her a blank stare. "How would matter cease to exist?"

"Oh, it will wear out eventually. I'm talking about a span of time some forty or fifty orders of magnitude greater than the universe's current age. You know, ten-to-the-fiftieth years in the future? A long, long time. Technically, given enough time, even a supermassive black hole will evaporate to nothing."

"Yyyyyeah. That's a long time."

"I'm not all that sure his soul would last that long."

"He'd certainly be bored by then, wouldn't he?"

"True."

Zatanna considered the other woman and then said, "I guess that's all, then. You've certainly been forthright."

"Good. Because I want to show YOU something now."

"Oh?"

Raven patted the floor. "Come sit."

With hardly any noticeable hesitation, Zatanna folded herself onto the smooth metal beside the empath. "What do you have in mind?"

Pulling a small object from within her cloak, Raven showed it to the other magic-user. "This is a mirror that I used to use to help me meditate."

"… Okay? I never heard of using a mirror for …"

"It's special."

"Never doubted that for a second."

"This mirror is a conduit into my mind."

After a few moments of blank stare, Zatanna said, "You'll have to explain that one."

"When I was very young I had a great deal of difficulty controlling my powers. I created large swaths of havoc whenever my emotional state got unstable, which was a not-infrequent occurrence. The monks finally hit upon a way to help me with that. They performed a ritual that severed my mind into individual components."

"Brain surgery? On a kid?"

"No, not brain, just mind. It was all psychic."

"Ah."

"This isn't to say it wasn't … traumatic. The Chief Adept performed the ritual several times over a period of months, each time carving away another piece of my soul and embodying it in a sort of avatar."

"That sounds painful."

"Mercifully, my memory of those times is extremely hazy. I think it was so bad that my subconscious blocked it out."

"… Ick."

"Anyway, I would like to show you the result."

"So we can see into your mind via this mirror? That's … actually pretty cool."

"Not just see. We can go there."

Zatanna didn't have an immediate response to that, but finally came up with, "Physically?"

"Yes."

"That's more than a little bizarre, Raven."

"I agree." She held out a hand. "Aren't you curious, though?"

Eyeing the slim, gray hand, Zatanna stated, "This sounds like one of those 'Dealing with the Devil' situations."

"Ah! But the reason I am offering HERE is that there is no demonic magic taking place."

"… That's true enough."

"This system you're using here was first established by the Azaratheans, who are totally pacifistic, as a means of preventing Trigon from using me as his portal. They hoped that this, combined with partitioning my soul, would do the trick."

"But you said that didn't work and he came through anyway!"

"Correct. I couldn't stay in the box my whole life, could I? But this was the best the monks could come up with. And it really does help me maintain control. It just wasn't enough to combat Trigon successfully because he was just THAT strong."

"Guess that sucked for you."

"Zatanna … it has sucked to be me for as long as I've been self-aware."

The taller woman looked away, a slight blush tinging her cheeks.

Raven patted her arm. "Hey, it's not _**your**_ fault."

"No. But other things are."

"That might be said of everyone."

"… Are you … sure it's safe?"

"It will be as safe as I can make it. I go there every few days, and some of the Titans have been there as well. Skipping over the gory details, we all got out alive."

"But you … okay, let me just say it."

Raven couldn't help a tiny smile. "Say on."

"Do you mean me any harm?"

"No."

"I didn't think so." She met Raven's gaze with a determined one of her own. "Okay. Let's see what you got."

Raven reached for her fingers. "If we're in physical contact, we probably won't be separated when we get there."

"I'd like that."

"Look into the mirror." And she turned it square on to them.

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. . .


	2. Confrontation

**Explanations Are Hard**

By Concolor44

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**Chapter Two: Confrontation**

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_Nevermore_

They landed on a barren shelf of rock that seemed to be floating among several hundred similar chunks. The sky was black. A low, diffuse light that had no evident source gave a reddish cast to everything. Zatanna commented, "Cheery place."

"Just another reason _**why**_ it sucks to be me." Getting her bearings, she pointed to their right. "That way."

"How do we move around in here? Fly?"

"Watch."

In a few moments, many nearby rocks had lined up to form a walkway, and Raven took the path. Zatanna followed, quickly catching up. "Is it far?"

"One never knows."

"But this is YOUR head."

"You'd be amazed at how little control that gives me. Oh! Here it is." She stopped before a tall, narrow arch of black stone. "Take my hand."

She did so. "More of that not-getting-separated stuff?"

"Yes. Step quickly." They basically jumped through the arch …

… and into a pleasant, grassy meadow. A laughing brook splashed by on their left. They felt a fresh breeze chase itself among the leaves in the small copse of quaking aspen that stood just up the hill behind them. Butterflies flitted about over the scattered patches of red, yellow, white, and pink wildflowers nodding under the perfectly blue sky.

Zatanna drew a long breath. "And this is you, too?"

"This is home to my more light-hearted aspects."

"Nice place."

A voice to her right chirped, "Thanks! Rae lets me decorate!"

Zatanna whirled and stepped quickly back, taking in the image before her. The figure looked exactly like Raven … except for the bright-fuchsia cloak and leotard. She leaned forward and tapped the _Magus_ on the tip of her nose. "Hey, I'm Delight! It's so **lovely** to finally **meet** you!"

"Lovely?" She shot Raven a look. The empath, successfully hiding a slight panic, just shrugged.

Grabbing Zatanna's wrist, the sprite pulled and said, "C'mon, you **gotta** meet the others!"

"Whoa, what others?"

Another aspect, this one in dusty rose, zipped past, laughing. Yet another, a salmon-tinted girl, chased after her. Delight stuck two fingers in her mouth and emitted a piercing whistle. "Hey, guys, c'mere!"

The two whirling avatars came to a comical attention and floated over. "Yes ma'am, miss ma'am, ma'am!" One of them said, with an exaggerated salute.

Delight turned back to Zatanna. "Okay! This," she said, pointing to the salmon-colored girl, "is Joy. And she's Merriment." Delight whipped around a couple of times. "Hey! Where's Glee and Bliss?"

"Here I am!" "Right here!" Two more of them popped out of the ground, one a light coral and one a deep pink. The five of them made a line, put their arms across each other's shoulders, and started a lively can-can.

Zatanna backed toward Raven. In a quiet aside she asked, "How many of you are there?"

Sighing, Raven answered, "Originally there were seven: Courage, Timidity, Happiness, Sloth, Intelligence, Vulgarity, and Rage. What you see here," and she swept an arm around at the landscape, "has developed since I joined the Titans. These five all sprang from Happiness."

"… What, they just spontaneously appeared?"

"It's more along the lines of cell division, with a twist. Happiness split into Ecstasy and Elation, and then Ecstasy split into Delight and Joy, and Elation split into Bliss and Merriment and Glee."

"Okay. But why?"

"Because I've grown. My association with the Titans has challenged me, physically, mentally, and spiritually. With each challenge met, growth occurs."

"That's true of anyone."

"Mostly, yes. And with me, there is a … _manifestation_ of that growth."

Zatanna had to grin at the antics of the five avatars. They'd segued into a cheer squad, complete with color-coordinated pompoms. "Gimme a Z! Gimme a ... um ... Gimme a …" They looked at each other. With a sparkle in her eye, Merriment leaned toward their guest. "Psst! How do ya spell 'Zatanna'?"

She spelled it for them. They completed their cheer, then all five flew up into the air and exploded in a wealth of pink fireworks.

"You must really like pink."

"It's all right in moderation." She pulled at Zatanna. "Come on. There are a couple more you need to see."

A bevy of large, pink bubbles formed around them, morphing into the five avatars who were all waving furiously. "Bye!" "Bye!" "Bye!" "Bye!" "Bye!"

They hurried into the aspen wood and through another archway.

Zatanna blinked at the décor in their destination. They stood in the wide, wide entry hall of what looked for all the world like a palace. The floor was a parquet of rich hardwood, its geometric patterns waxed to a high sheen, the walls draped in satin and suede of violet, burgundy, and cobalt blue. A pair of spiraling staircases mirrored one another at each side, leading her gaze upward to an opulent carved balcony. There, a curvaceous figure in royal purple lounged against the railing. Lifting a languid hand, she waved at the two. "Raven! Welcome. And this must be Zatanna." She floated over and down to them, landing delicately and stepping up to the tall woman. She took her in a light embrace, laying her head against Zatanna's shoulder for a moment, then rising on her tip-toes to give her a brief – but rather sultry – kiss.

"Desire! Stop that!" Raven took the avatar by her arm and pulled her away from the _Magus_, who was standing in shock.

"I'm only being hospitable."

"For extremely LARGE values of 'hospitable'!"

Zatanna noted that this girl's leotard was cut considerably higher at the bottom and considerably lower at the cleavage than the others she'd seen. "Wait … you called her 'Desire'?"

"Yes. One of the Primaries that developed a few years ago was Love. Over time she split into Adoration, Affection, Lust, Desire, Devotion, Tenderness, Friendship, Longing, Commitment and Ardor."

"And from your earlier comment, I'm guessing Beast Boy had a lot to do with that."

"Some, yes. To an extent. Love appeared about a year after the Titans formed, and shocked me quite badly. But I got used to her; then Affection and Friendship developed from my relationships with Starfire and Cyborg. Adoration came to be after … well, after that incident where Robin literally fought through Hell to bring me back. Then, after an, um, interesting bit of, uh, let's call it _experimentation_ that Starfire initiated and Robin and I, ah … participated in, Lust showed up."

"Whoa. Sounds like things in the Tower got a lot hotter than we'd thought."

"You might say that. Anyway, about a year ago I realized that I'd been harboring some rather intense feelings for Gar for quite a while, and masking them with … well … that's not important. Anyway, it took me some time …"

Desire interjected, "A hell of lot more time than it should have!"

"… ahem. It took a lot of introspection and study to convince myself to give the relationship a try. And Gar has been nothing if not totally helpful. As I'd suspected, he'd been crushing on me for years, and when I admitted my feelings for him, he transformed into a greyhound and raced around the island about a dozen times out of sheer joy."

During her narrative, three more avatars showed up. One of them took that opportunity to introduce herself. "Hello. I'm Devotion. That's Friendship, and she's Tenderness."

Zatanna nodded to each one, noting the lavender, heliotrope, and mauve cloaks each wore.

Desire asked, "Where's Lust?"

Devotion sighed. "In her room, where else?"

Raven, shaking her head, said, "You do NOT want to meet her!"

From behind them a voice said, "Do I hear my name being taken in vain?"

Glancing back, Zatanna did a double-take and moved to the other side of Raven.

Lust wore – if one can use that word – a handful of diaphanous veils in a vibrant violet that promised much and hid little. "Hey, Rae." She sauntered over to them. Zatanna was pretty sure she'd never seen anything quite that sensual before. "You brought a friend, I see. Gonna share?"

Desire walked up behind Zatanna and draped a slender arm around her waist, trailing fingertips along her hip. "Yeah, Rae, don't be selfish. She tastes really nice. Her breath reminds me of cherry cheesecake ice cream, and that musk! Whoa!" Zatanna squinched her shoulders together, eyes huge.

Suddenly Lust stood in front of the pair. She reached up and cupped the _Magus's_ cheek. "Oh, I think THAT needs some ... exploration."

A firm hand latched onto each of them as Raven separated them from her guest. "Azar in ashes! Behave, damn it!"

Lust, deprived of her first target, turned smoky eyes on Desire, wrapped eager arms around her neck and initiated a deep kiss.

Raven hissed, "Get a room, you two!"

A dark portal opened beneath them and they sank out of sight.

Zatanna blew a long, relieved breath. "This is DEFINITELY a side of you I didn't know existed."

"Okay, you've seen it and that's all I wanted. A good bit MORE than I wanted, really. Let's go before she gets back."

The portal they took spat them back out among the floating rocks. Raven concentrated a moment and another pathway took shape.

"Where are we going now?"

"To get the opposing view."

They walked for quite some time before coming to another arch. Zatanna eyed it with no small trepidation. "That doesn't look … safe."

"Ordinarily it would be insanely dangerous. But we are in a no-demonic-magic zone here, so we ought to be all right."

"Ought to be?"

"I've got it sorted." The empath licked her lips and swallowed. "Come on."

Zatanna noted that Raven didn't seem very eager to enter the portal either (and honestly, the empath wasn't AT ALL sure that things would work out the way she wanted). It was mostly some black metal, its pitted surface glistening with fetid, poisonous slime and sporting hundreds of cruel thorns. She very carefully stayed in the geometric center of the thing.

The ground was black because it was covered with what looked like soot that puffed up with each step. No living thing could be seen anywhere. The sky was the color of molten iron; ash floated down in a constant mist. Every few seconds a flaming boulder would crash to earth in the distance. Before them was a high wall of that same pitted black metal as the portal. The broad double-door looked like carved obsidian.

Squaring her shoulders, Raven marched to the door and pushed it open, Zatanna on her heels.

Inside, it was darker. Guttering torches stuck out of the walls here and there. A low, grating vibration ran through the floor.

"I take it this isn't one of your happier places."

"This is that portion of Trigon that still remains in my soul. It's where Evil and Condemnation and Deceit and Betrayal and Resentment and Wrath make their homes."

"If it's all the same to you, I would rather not meet them."

A scratchy contralto said, "Oh, but I want to meet you." The figure moved around to face them, its four red eyes glowing from the depths of its dark crimson hood. "I have wanted to meet the one who betrayed us to the Justice League." She floated closer. "We have _so_ … _much_ … to _talk_ about."

"Back off, Resentment. That's not why she's here."

"I don't care what your reasons are, Raven. She's here, and she WILL listen."

"Yes, she will. But I want to speak with everyone at the same time."

"… As you wish." She turned away with a supercilious air and made a small gesture. In a whirl of shredded shadows, five more avatars blinked into being. The one in a cloak of brilliant scarlet snarled and leaped at Zatanna, only to slam into an invisible barrier. Howling her fury at being stopped, she crouched low, her arms held wide as long, black talons grew from her fingers.

Another of them, this one cloaked in the most absolute black imaginable, stepped forward and placed a hand on the red one's shoulder. "Wrath," it said in a voice that pulled the hair up on Zatanna's neck, "be calm. We are contained." It raised its own glowing quartet of eyes and stared at the _Magus_. "For the present."

Raven said, "This one is Evil."

"No kidding."

One of the others, one wearing a cloak of pale red that looked as if it had been splattered with mud, screamed, "Why is that rancid whore in our domain?"

Raven's own voice was low and reasonable. "That's what I want to explain, Condemnation."

"As if we would trust ANYTHING you have to say!" That one's cloak looked like rust. Or dried blood.

"Well, Deceit, you don't really have a choice, do you?"

The remaining avatar – Zatanna assumed it was Betrayal – spoke in answer. "You've never given us choices before. Why start now?" She spat in Zatanna's direction. "And why with her?"

"All right, listen up!"

The base Emotions all got still.

"I know we've been holding a grudge against Zatanna for five years now, but it's time to stop."

"Why?" Evil put an entire world of contempt into that one word.

"Because it doesn't help us. It doesn't help us in our work, in our meditation, or in our friendships."

"You aren't trying to tell us that you want to be – by Trigon, I can barely stomach the word – _friends_ with … with _**HER?**_" Resentment was the very picture of incredulity.

"An actual friendship would be up to her just as much as us. But that wasn't what I was referring to. As you know, the Titans have been working with the League a good bit lately, and J'onn J'onzz has taken an interest in us."

"Now that's a guy who knows what betrayal feels like," put in Betrayal. "And I'd know."

"Yes. He is sympathetic with our plight." Raven turned to Zatanna. "Betrayal first formed after Terra infiltrated the Titans and found out all our secrets while she was working for Slade as his apprentice … and then tried to kill us all."

"... I remember that!" She looked over at Betrayal, who had a defiant cast to her face, and said, "YOU are certainly legit."

"Duh."

"We are ALL legitimate," insisted Evil. "Did you think we came to be by accident?"

"No. Raven explained how … oh, wait."

Resentment scoffed, "Now she gets it. Slow, much?"

"So all of you … each one of you … had a precipitating event."

"Listen at 'er, using big words and shit."

Zatanna paused in thought while the Emotions whispered among themselves. She looked up at them. "You're all necessary."

They held still in expectation while Raven watched the exchange.

"You are. You're … needed. Necessary. You're a part of Raven that …" She turned to the empath, brow furrowed. "Wait … I've got all these things in me, too!"

"Doubtless."

"But with you … wow. With you, you can meet them. You can … track your progress." She pointed at Raven. "Lust and Desire!"

"What about them?"

"Did they show up at the same time?"

Deceit laughed at her. "I know where YOUR mind's at!"

Raven gave her head a small shake. "Lust appeared after my ménage à trois with Robin and Starfire. Desire didn't show up until I admitted how I felt about Gar."

"So they must have some fundamental differences, then."

"True. Lust is almost purely physical. Desire is a more spiritual emotion."

"So … wait … you're bi?"

"Perforce, being half demon. All demons are bisexual, and most are gender-fluid."

"Is that why you kissed me?"

Raven's mouth dropped open. "… DESIRE kissed you! I pulled her off you! Twice!"

"But Desire is simply an aspect of you. I thought we just established that."

Raven fought down a blush.

Zatanna grinned. "Hospitality? Wasn't that what she said?"

"The Emotions frequently behave in a semi-autonomous fashion. I have to meditate for a time and then concentrate to fully control them."

"Okay, fine. But would Desire have done that if you didn't find me maybe a little bit attractive?"

"… MUST we have this conversation right now?"

The grin matured to a full-on smirk. "Nah."

"Thank you."

"Hey, you SAID I'd be seeing some things that would surprise me. Little did I know."

Raven desperately cast around for some way to change the subject. Fortunately for her, one of her aspects came to the rescue.

Wrath growled, "That doesn't square what you did to us."

Quickly sobering, Zatanna gazed at the violent Emotion for a bit and then said, quietly, "No. It doesn't." She paused for several breaths. "What do you think WOULD make up for it?"

Raven cautioned, "Zatanna, don't feel you have to …"

"No, it's okay." She never broke eye contact with Wrath. "I … I need to know."

Wrath held up a hand and closed her talons, the tips clicking against each other, muttering, "I can think of a few things."

"Well if they all involve my death, I can't …"

"Or maiming," added Raven.

"Yeah, or that. But … man, this is weird!"

Evil spoke up, "Continue with your train of thought."

"Right." She looked at each of them in turn, then stared at Raven. "I haven't decided if this setup is an advantage or not."

Again, Evil prompted, "Extrapolate."

"Most people … well, we have to take the time and put forth the energy to think things through. When we have a big decision or some life-changing event, we have to take time to … um, consider all the options. Or something. But you don't do it that way, do you? You come in here and just TALK to 'em."

"I have, yes."

"These guys …" She waved her arm at the line of avatars. "They interact with you in ways I can't even fathom. So you can get all kinds of perspectives on things. But on the other hand, they're just as likely to argue with you." Looking back at the others, she fixed her gaze on Deceit. "You, though, I don't think I understand. How'd you come to be?"

"That's Raven's fault."

"… Oh?"

Raven hung her head. "It's because I hid the truth about myself from my team for so long."

"Oh. Okay."

"No, NOT okay! I deceived them wrongly, unfairly. Keeping information from someone for his own good might sometimes be acceptable, if the circumstances are extreme. But what I did … hurt them." She looked up at Zatanna, who noted the silvery tracks on her cheeks. "My deception hurt them, HARMED them, and almost led to the destruction of our world. My own hubris in thinking I could … that I had the power to …"

Resentment said, "Will you just shut up about that already? They got over it."

Zatanna drew a long breath and said, "Wow."

Evil cocked an eyebrow at her.

"You guys … You're terrific."

"Well WE know that. How do YOU come by that opinion?"

"It's not opinion. It's fact. You are more help to Raven …"

"Technically," interrupted Wrath, "we ARE Raven. Or aspects of her. You already settled that. Maybe we look like different people, but we are really all just facets of her soul. Although she might disagree."

"No." Raven walked over and gave Wrath a hug. "No. Please don't feel that way. I do need you all. Value you all." Turning to Evil, she repeated the process, then with each of the remaining negative Emotional Aspects. They all acted shocked and put off, but Zatanna could tell they were pleased with Raven's openness.

"Hey," she finally interjected, "do you guys have the … oh, I dunno, the freedom to do your own decorating?"

Resentment frowned at her. "What's it to you?"

"I was just wondering if it's all dark and gloomy here because you all WANT it that way."

The aspects shot furtive looks at each other. Finally Evil said, "Um, yes. Basically."

"Okay. Just curious."

Wrath got her attention. "I know what you can do to offset the damage you did to Raven."

"I'm listening."

"Be her advocate."

Zatanna blinked a few times in confusion. "Sorry?"

"When some moron comes down hard on the Titans because he says Raven's not trustworthy, put him in his place."

"Yeah," agreed Betrayal. "And I know you can do it. That tongue of yours can drip high-molar acid if you want it to."

A grin slowly bloomed on the _Magus's_ face. "That's beautiful."

"Then you'll do it?" prompted Wrath.

"Absolutely."

The six aspects gathered close to one another. Evil remarked, "Looks like we did accomplish something today." And they vanished in a whirl of black.

Raven said, "I'm ready to go if you are."

"Yes, let's."

. . .

. . .


	3. Denouement

**Explanations Are Hard**

By Concolor44

. . .

. . .

**Chapter Three: Denouement**

. . .

. . .

_Titans' Tower, 6:45pm_

Robin came into the common room and headed to the kitchen to get a soda, but it wasn't until he'd drunk half of it that he noticed the top of Raven's head peeking over the couch. "Oh, hey."

She craned her neck to look at him. "Hey."

"Wasn't expecting you back so soon. You get all your errands done? I figured you'd be gone all day. Weren't you meeting a friend for lunch?"

"We met."

His expectant expression made her roll her eyes. "We met. We talked. A good time was had by all. That's it."

"Okay, okay, no prob. You had the whole day off and so I thought …"

"And you never TAKE days off. So what's your point?"

He grimaced slightly, said, "Touché," and left.

Raven turned her attention back to the changeling whose head lay in her lap. She'd been playing with his hair the whole time, and he was practically comatose from the pleasure. Half-lidded eyes fixed on hers, he mumbled, "Talkin' 'bout Zatanna?"

"Yep."

"I thought that went well."

"Yes. We came to a meeting of the minds, in a manner of speaking."

"Ha! Good one, Rae." He repositioned himself slightly so she could get to his right ear, which she began tickling. "She seems interested, don't you think?"

"… Eh. I don't know. We didn't get THAT far. Trust had to be gained first, and she has distrusted me for five years."

"She has, that's so. You think she trusts you now?"

"I think so. Certainly more than she did."

A grin stretched his face. "Enough to convince her to wrap those mile-long legs around you one of these nights?"

She blushed. Hard.

"Come on, Rae. You've been dreaming about that for … well, longer than _**we've**_ been together."

"So?"

"So why didn't you tell her? All she could have done was say NO."

"You are fully aware that I'd never intended to make that overture this time. Not yet." She let slip a small sigh. "Although I fear Desire gave it away. She was … quite forward."

"Heh. Showed her hand, did she?"

"Very nearly. So did Lust. For that matter, so did Delight."

"You know what confuses me?"

"Practically everything."

"Har-har, look at me, I'm gray and hilarious." He blew a short raspberry. "Listen, Zee is supposed to be one of the most powerful magic users around, right?"

"She's on the same playing field as Dr. Fate, so, yeah. She knows a lot more about magic than I ever will, I'm sure."

"A lot of what you two talked about seemed like it surprised her."

"The key word there is 'seemed'."

"So you caught it, too?"

"She's good, I'll give her that. Must be that stage presence thing. I couldn't tell which parts truly surprised her and which she already knew about. I think the BIGGEST surprise in her mind was that I'd submit to going into the Wheel in the first place."

"Coming back around to that trust thing."

"Exactly."

He stretched, giving her access to the back of his head. "So what's your next move?"

"I'll see if she's free and willing to do lunch next Tuesday."

"… Okay. Why Tuesday?"

"That's the next day she's not on duty."

"What if WE'RE on duty?"

"Then she'll understand. She's a superhero. She gets it."

"She doesn't get YOU, though."

"Only because she doesn't really know me. Yet."

"But you'll fix that."

Raven got a determined glint in her eye. "That's the plan."

"You're such a fibber."

"Huh?"

"You told Zee that you were nothing but a big-picture planner, and sucked at details. That's hogwash. You've got your moves around HER planned out down to the color of their shoelaces."

"I didn't LIE to her! I specifically kept my response targeted toward battles!"

"False by omission. Pants on fire anyway."

Raven had the grace to blush. "That's what I get for renting you space in my head."

"Hey, I stayed out of sight! Camped out in Caution's cave, and got updates from that amulet you gave me, just like you told me to."

"As."

"… What?"

"As, not like. Use the adverbial form."

"Aw for cryin' out loud!"

"Languages are precise for a reason."

"Grammar Nazi!"

"Provincial bumpkin."

"Anal nitpicker!"

She grinned at him. "Ninnyhammer."

He smirked right back. "Luddite!"

"… Do you even know what that means?"

"It's an insult."

"In some circles. It's wildly out of place in this context, though."

"Okay, then." He thought it over and snapped his fingers. "Got it! Proctalgia!"

She blinked at him, twice. "… How in the _world_ do you know …"

"Jeopardy Daily Double. Obscure medical terms for five hundred, Alex."

"Oh My God."

"Top that one!"

She thought a few seconds and smiled. "Furciferous zoilist."

"… um …"

His expression had her fighting down a laugh for all she was worth. Finally he sighed and admitted, "Okay, ya got me there. I haven't caught up with your reading yet. But … zoilist? Does that have anything to do with that guy Zoilus?"

"Oh, VERY good!" She leaned over and licked slowly up his ear, eliciting a prolonged and jittery groan. "You get to pick one from Column B."

His eyes and mouth opened very wide for a few seconds. Then he jumped off the couch, scooped her up, and ran out of the room with her.

. . .

. . .

_Somewhat north of San Francisco, 7:30pm_

The sound of the front door being unlocked echoed through the spacious entrance hall of Shadowcrest, ancestral home of the Zatara family. The heavy portal swung wide of its own volition, allowing Zatanna to walk through, then closing behind her. Without breaking stride she continued straight in, past the Receiving Parlor, the Music Hall, the ground floor Library, the passage out to the Arboretum, and into the Grand Hall. She followed it to its far end, turned right and entered a much smaller hallway that shortly led to the main kitchen. Delectable aromas pulled her the rest of the way.

Upon entering the kitchen, she spotted a tall man in a Green Lantern apron stirring something at the range. She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Hey, John. When did you get back?"

"Couple hours ago. Long enough to wash the stink off and get the cutlets prepped and breaded."

"And get the marinara started. That smells incredible."

"I thought you'd be ready for something good after the day YOU had planned." He picked up a ladle from the pot, blew on it gently, and offered it to her to taste, which she did. "What do you think?"

"Oh, babe! Heaven!"

"Right you are." He turned the flame down very low and propped the ladle on the edge. "An' speakin' o' which, how DID your little tête-à-tête with the Titans' resident cambion go?

"A great deal better than I'd anticipated, that's for sure." She chuckled. "Raven's got the hots for me."

John Constantine stood very straight and then turned in her arms. Giving her a piercing look, he answered her laugh with one of his own. "That's a good one, love."

"I'm dead serious."

"So she came out and said so?"

"Didn't have to. You know how her Emotions are divided, right?"

"Yes. Bloody Azarathean monks. Pacifists, my arse!"

"Well I went on a little visit to Nevermore."

He blinked at her, silent for several seconds. "Are you tellin' me she allowed _**you**_ inside her head? I thought she was dead pissed at you!"

"Not anymore, apparently. We visited … well, okay, there were some new developments. I'd only known about her original fracturing. Since then, her Emotions have developed into … call them sub-categories."

"Meaning what?"

"Rage isn't just Rage anymore."

"… Oh, hells, you mean it's stronger?"

"Nnnnnnoooo, I wouldn't say so. Different. More compartmentalized. There are six of them now: Evil, Wrath, Betrayal, … um … Condemnation, Deceit, and … oh, what was … Resentment! Right."

"Whoa-whoa-whoa! She _sub_-divided her _**Rage**_?"

"The way she explained it was that the fracturing was a natural outcome of personal growth. It actually made a lot of sense."

He turned that one over a few times. "So, okay. Now you've got SIX evil entities to imprison, is that what you're saying?"

"Nope. I don't believe we need to do anything about them at all. And that wasn't even the biggest shock. You know how she's been knocking boots with Beast Boy for the last couple of months?"

"Yeah. Couldn't figure out her angle. You find out why she's stringin' him along?"

"She's not. She told me she's in love with him."

Constantine actually took a step back. "She …" He performed a very quick spell and pressed his thumb against her forehead while she watched him with an amused grin. "No, she didn't hypnotize you. And all your memories look sound."

"I was thoroughly protected against anything she might try. But the kicker is that she didn't try anything. John, she walked into the Wheel voluntarily."

"… Did she know what it was?"

"Yep. They've got one at the Tower, you know. She recognized it instantly; even identified the alloy I'd used. She also recognized the Runes of Verity, and didn't object to that either."

That strained his credulity. "What the hells is she on about?"

"I told you. She's crushing on me."

"And you could tell … how, exactly?"

"Because of the other major shock that I got. She'd developed a new Emotion: Love."

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Dearest, she _**can't**_ love. She's half demon."

"Correction. She's half _**human**_."

"But demons …"

"We HAD that conversation. Look, I met them, some of them, and …"

"Them?"

"The fractured aspects of Love. I met Desire and Lust and Friendship and Tenderness and … um, damn it, what was … ah, Devotion! There were four or five more I didn't meet: Affection and Adoration and … eh, some more."

"How is that even possible? I'd think Trigon's influence would be too strong, and the demon half would be dominant."

"Maybe if Trigon could affect her directly, it would be." She pointed a finger at him. "She admitted to Trigon being her Old Man. _Volunteered_ the information. Didn't turn a hair."

"Holy shite!"

"But in any case it's not an issue because he's locked up in a pocket universe. No contact, no control. Plus, she's devoted her whole life to opposing his influence." She glanced away, frowning, and mumbled, "Of course I didn't know that when we first met."

"THAT'S a bloody relief!"

"True. Anyway, as soon as we got to Love's domain, Desire walked right up and kissed me. Then shortly after that, Lust showed up tried to glom onto me and things got pretty uncomfortable for Raven. She dragged them off me and sent them away, then got us out of there before they could get back. But it was ridiculously obvious that Raven is attracted to me, and I'd say it was a pretty major attraction."

"Well, well. The little demon girl is comin' out of 'er shell, is she?"

"In a big way."

"I guess, then, from one point o' view your visit was a smashin' success."

"You know it."

"Is there anything she DIDN'T tell you?"

"Nothing of importance. She was being brutally honest with me."

He snorted a laugh. "An' you think it's because she wants t' get into your knickers?"

"I'd say that's a big chunk of it."

He squinted in concentration for a moment. "But she's with Beast Boy. Or at least she's bangin' 'im." A timer sounded and he immediately swooped over to a stock pot, poured its contents into a colander in the sink, and ran hot water over the short pile of whole-grain penne. Then he scattered a few generous sprinkles of extra virgin olive oil over it and gave it a few tosses. "There. Time for the cutlets."

"I'll stay out of the way while the master's at work."

"Good choice." He pulled a preheated pan of clarified butter over onto a flame and dropped in the half-dozen cutlets. The scent of sizzling veal filled the kitchen. "Now, back t' my question."

"You had a question? I must have missed that."

"What's she gonna do about Beast Boy?" He gave her a hard eye. "She's not thinkin' you'll hop in the sheets wi' both of 'em, is she?"

"Oh, glory, I hope not! That green complexion creeps me out."

He favored her with a more penetrating glare. "You ain't seriously considerin' …"

"Cool your jets, John. I'm straight, as far as I know." Allowing a twinkle to invest her eye, she followed that up with, "Of course … Raven's _awfully_ cute. Just because I've never considered it _**before**_ …"

"That's a right wicked sense o' humor you got, Zee."

She cozied up to him again. "You're adorable when you're jealous."

"Hey, I realize what a good thing I lucked into. I _**know**_ you're too good for me. I'm just hopin' it takes you fifty or sixty years t' figger it out for yourself."

She reached up and kissed his cheek. "You say the sweetest things."

Expertly, he flipped the cutlets. "You wanna get the wine?"

"What did you have in mind?"

"I saw a nice Brunello di Montalcino '87 in your cellar. I think that'd do a treat."

With a few muttered words and a gesture, the bottle in question appeared in her hands. "Hmm. I think you're right." She got the glasses and took them out to the 'breakfast nook', a generous portico that was originally intended merely as a rear entrance from one of the pool areas. Neither of them particularly liked eating in the State Dining Room. It was just too darned big.

Half an hour later they had retired to the Smoking Room, a parlor upstairs that shared equal space with the state-of-the-art humidor beside it. Not that Zatanna would touch tobacco, but John (though he no longer chain-smoked) did enjoy a good cigar after dinner. The Smoking Room had a very effective ventilation system, so the sorceress could appreciate her wine without having to endure second-hand smoke.

John watched her contemplatively for a minute, then said, "So … what ARE ya plannin' t' do?"

"About Raven?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Nothing, at the moment. She initiated the meeting, and she had a very good reason for doing so. It just wasn't her real reason."

"Her real reason bein' she wants t' suck yer face."

"Basically." She gave a short giggle. "It's actually kinda flattering."

"You WOULD look at it that way."

"Not to worry. I don't see the need for a follow-up. She got what she came for, overtly, at least: she got some of my trust."

"That's sayin' somethin', that is."

Looking at him over the rim of her wine glass, Zatanna said, "You about done with that cigar?"

"Just about. Why?"

"I think I'm going to go take a shower."

That perked his ears up. "I see. Fancy yer back scrubbed?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. All this talk about someone crushing on me is kind of … hot. I just wondered if you felt the same."

"Sweet Cheeks, I never _don't_ feel that way about you." He stubbed out the cigar and stood, holding out a hand. "If the lady wouldn't mind an escort?"

Placing her hand in his, she answered, "The lady would be delighted."

. . .

. . .

_End Note: As I had mentioned up front, this plot bunny just sort of attacked me. Did it make sense? One hopes. Any questions or comments? There's a nifty little button right down there that will help._


	4. Epilogue A

**Explanations Are Hard**

By Concolor44

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. . .

_[Author's Note: There will now be posted a series of Epilogues to the story, one after another over the next day or so. Please read each one, and keep in mind that they are totally unrelated, parallel alternate possible endings. I would ask you to decide for yourself which one you think most likely to be true. If you have an opinion you'd like to express, leave a review or drop me a PM. I will compile the results, and then publish my opinion on which one I think actually took place.]_

. . .

. . .

**Epilogue A – Zatanna Makes a Decision**

. . .

. . .

_Downtown San Francisco, some months later, 9:50pm_

Soft strains of the song _Imaginary_ from Evanescence's "Fallen" album drifted through the penthouse suite of an exclusive high-rise condo. Two bottles of champagne – a 1990 vintage Cristal Brut – sat on the low table in the main room. One of them was empty, and the other nearly so.

Raven toyed with her flute, sloshing the bubbling liquid gently around and around, watching the room's other occupant over the rim of the glass. She took another slow sip, set the flute down beside the nearer bottle, and said, "You're having second thoughts about my staying tonight."

After a few breaths of silence, Zatanna muttered, "More like fifth thoughts." She drained her glass, grabbed the bottle, and refilled it.

"Are you trying to get drunk?"

"Trying to stay that way."

That stung. "I didn't realize that my company was such a burden."

"It's not the company." _Sip. Pause. Longer sip._ "It's what comes **with** the company."

"Please don't pretend you don't enjoy it."

Stricken eyes sought Raven's. "I'm afraid I enjoy it altogether too much."

"And that's a problem?"

"When it becomes … competition … maybe it is."

_Oh, Azar, not this again!_ "Is he really THAT jealous? Is he so selfish he won't even let you …"

"Stop it."

"I'm only saying that …"

"Stop it. Please."

"Gar doesn't have a problem with …"

"**STOP IT!"** Zatanna's roar shook the windows. Raven curled up on herself, hands clamped over her ears, her psychic shield slamming down around her to fend off the crashing waves of grief, confusion and desire.

The older woman slumped in her chair. Heavily, she rose and took the two steps to Raven's couch, knelt and placed a hand on her thigh. The cambion drew in tighter, a tiny whimper escaping.

"Raven." It was barely a whisper.

"I … I never wanted you like this. I don't … don't want to fo-force you to … to do anythi-thing you don't wa-want to. But … but Desire … she … needs you … so much … she …" The sound system had shuffled around to _Taking Over Me_. Raven groaned at the utter irony.

Zatanna slid onto the couch beside her, slipping an arm around her back.

Raven rocked over until her head was pillowed on the older woman's breast, breathing a continuous stream of, "Sorry. So sorry. Just want to make you happy. So, so sorry. You deserve better. So sorry."

"Hush," she ordered.

Raven swallowed a couple of times and stilled herself. Her arms unwound from around her torso and her fingers tangled in Zatanna's luxurious mane. Violet eyes sought silvery-blue. "Zee, I need to ask you something."

"I thought you might."

"I need for you to – to be honest. Candid. Completely."

"Rae, I CAN'T lie to you." She shook her head once, fighting back tears. "Not for a long time."

The moments stretched out, following each other in stately order until Zatanna was almost convinced Raven wasn't going to ask, but she finally whispered, "Do you love me?"

A long sigh. "I think I might. Or I might be starting to. And that's ticklish."

"But … why?" The anguish in that word clawed at the older woman's heart.

She sighed again. "Because I'm … Rae, I'm not … _like_ you. I don't think I can love two people at the same time. John knows that. Feels it."

"And you don't think I can … what? Fill his shoes?" Trembling fingers touched her cheek.

"… It's not just that." She dropped her gaze, focusing on the flawless length of leg across her lap, then blushing at a memory.

"What, then?"

"… It's Gar."

"Huh?" Raven seemed genuinely confused. "But – but he doesn't care. He's perfectly okay with – with you and me. He says it even spices up …"

"The problem isn't with him. It's with me."

"I'm not following you."

"I get … when I think about …" She huffed an exasperated breath. "You told me some about it."

"About what?"

"You and … Gar … doing it."

"What, making love? Well, of course."

"No, Rae. Not 'of course'. Not 'of course' at all."

Raven stared at her for a moment before her eyes widened. "You're … jealous?"

"It's stupid. I knew you were … committed … before we ever started this … this … whatever this is. I didn't have my eyes closed." She stroked Raven's hair. "I just never anticipated that I'd feel this way. About you. About us." Giving a wry laugh, she added, "About everything. It's all so screwed up. I feel like I'm cheating on John and you're cheating on Gar."

"But it's not …"

"Rae. Please." She pulled the other woman back up under her chin. "It's the way I said. I'm not like you. I realize _**you**_ can love more than one person, and love them all fully. But I … I'm not … I can't DO that, Rae." A tear dripped into Raven's hair. "And on top of the guilt I feel for not being faithful to John, I have to fight down my rage over my reaction to Gar being that … that close to you."

Raven was stunned. "This is completely backwards. Totally screwy."

"I hope you don't think that's some kind of news flash."

The empath's arms tightened around Zatanna. "I do-don't want t-t-to lose you. Zee … I love you!"

"I know. I've felt that for – for weeks now. And with every kiss, every touch, every climax, my guilt hits me harder. I know you love me. But John loves me, too. I don't think I can express how deeply he loves me. His whole world is tied up in me. And he's looking at you … um, to begin with, you were just …" She stopped to chew on her lip. "Now you gotta understand that this is in HIS mind, okay? You straight with that?"

Raven hesitated, then nodded.

Deep breath. "You were just a phase. A fling." She swallowed. "An experiment. But now, these last couple of weeks when we've been together every two or three days, he's … he's gotten … quiet. He's not thinking about, um, US – you and me – as a fling anymore. He's a lot more perceptive than most people give him credit for. Now? He sees you as the competition."

"But I don't WANT to …"

"Shh. Shhhhhhhh. I know. I know exactly how you look at it. John's involvement in my life doesn't faze you at all. You're just … happy for me."

Raven nodded furiously. "That's it! See, we just need to explain that to John and …"

"No."

The empty, lifeless finality in that word stopped Raven cold. She actually shivered.

"It's not a matter of explanation. Even if explaining this relationship were simple – and it's not – that doesn't mean he'd agree. Hell, Rae, I'm … I'm close to losing him."

"Zee!"

"He hasn't put it in those terms yet, but it's only a matter of time."

"But … maybe if he … joined us?"

"He's not put together that way, Rae. A LOT of people aren't put together that way. It isn't a matter of making up his mind … picking one or the other. Flipping a coin. It's his most basic, first-level, gut reaction to something he can't help but look at as a challenge." She kissed the silky, purple hair. "I don't know at this point if he's working up the nerve to just leave me … or working up the nerve to fight you for me."

"BUT I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT HIM! I DON'T WANT HIM TO LEAVE YOU!"

"Rae … he doesn't share. Not this way. Not once he started to figure out how … how I felt. How I was beginning to feel."

The smaller woman was crying openly now.

Zatanna simply held her, stroking her hair. While they sat there the music shuffled through _My Immortal_ and _My Heart Is Broken_, into_ Lost In Paradise_.

Raven looked up, caught her eye. "This playlist can't possibly be coincidence."

"Maybe … it was subconscious?"

Untangling herself, Raven stood. She wiped her eyes on her sleeves. "So that's it, then."

The _Magus_ couldn't dredge up an appropriate response to that statement, only giving Raven a hollow gaze.

It was a short walk to the lavish kitchen. If Raven recalled correctly, they'd only used it once in the months they'd been meeting here. That incident had convinced them not to try again.

_Foreshadowing?_ Raven asked herself.

She ran the cold water, laved her face, and dried off with the hand towel. _Come on, Raven, you can do this. You faced down the End Of The World. You can still face it when it's just your __**own**__ world breaking apart._

When she turned to go back into the main room, Zatanna was standing in the doorway. Her eyes were closed, the crashing surf of her regret beating against Raven's shield.

The empath walked up to her and took her in a light embrace. After a few heartbeats she reached up and kissed the smooth cheek. Zatanna could feel how badly her lips trembled, and bit back a sob.

"I won't … won't let this get in the way of our te-teams w-working together."

Silently, Zee shook her head, wrapping her arms around the slender shoulders.

"If … if this is really …" Raven sniffed, blinking back tears. "… if this is IT … I should probably go."

"Yeah. You probably should."

Neither moved for half a minute. "Zee. That means you'll have to let me go."

"You just feel so damn good."

Raven tried a laugh, but it came out as a hiccup. "You've said that before, too."

"Because it's true."

Raven turned, brushed the soft skin of Zatanna's throat with softer lips, pulling forth a low moan. "Maybe … maybe I could stay … one more night."

"Oh, God, Raven!"

"But only if you wan-"

Zatanna's kiss cut short that slight objection.

. . .

. . .


	5. Epilogue B

**Explanations Are Hard**

By Concolor44

. . .

. . .

**Epilogue B – Gar Reacts Poorly**

. . .

. . .

_Shadowcrest, some months later, 3:45am_

It hadn't been anything more than the sort of sixth sense most people experience from time to time. That feeling of being watched, of not being alone when your instincts tell you that you should be. With Zatanna, though, there were extenuating circumstances. She had her home warded in half-a-thousand ways, and many of those magical barriers would send her a subtle warning if tripped. In her present circumstance, that meant one of two things. Either her gut was lying to her, which she didn't believe for a second, or the unseen intruder had magic powerful enough to fool her wards. That would take some doing.

The feeling had been strong enough to wake her, strong enough to draw her to the center of her room, where she could better defend herself.

She'd been mumbling under her breath for most of a minute now, preparing defensive spells, trying to calculate what the invisible mage was most likely to try first. She had several layers of anti-magic shells active, each keyed to a different base-plane of arcane power. If the mage struck her with spells based in Air, Fire, Water, Electricity, or Spirit, the effects would rebound on him. (Yes, in her bones she simply knew the interloper was male.) The house itself already prevented Earth magic from taking effect anywhere on the property.

Keenly aware of her surroundings, watching in every direction via the astral and ethereal planes as well as with her own eyes, Zatanna finished up her final defensive framework. The intruder was hiding his own magic perfectly; she had never encountered – for that matter, hadn't known it was even possible – to mask a magic aura that completely. Even the mask itself should be giving off some kind of trace. But there was nothing. The cloak was impermeable. His mind, she could sense, barely, but it was diffuse, scattered, mobile. If she could just get a bead on it, if he would make a soun-

. . .

. . .

_7:20pm_

Pain.

That was the first impression left on her mind when she began to regain consciousness. Her head hurt. Also her arms. Also her legs.

Also pretty much everything else.

Blinking helped some. Shapes swam slowly back into focus. This was her garden tub. She was in her en-suite bath.

What the hell?

_Why won't my arms move?_

Squirming produced very little actual movement. Her legs were encased in something … something fairly rigid.

Then she realized there was something else covering her mouth. Not that it would have made much difference, since her head seemed to be glued in place as well.

"Oh. You woke up."

The speaker was behind her somewhere. _Wait! I know that voice!_

She keeled her eyes as far around as she could, but then Garfield Logan obligingly stepped into her field of view.

Panic gave way to confusion. She tried to speak, but the gag only let her make muffled noises.

Gar shook his head. "No. Can't have your mouth free to work magic. Sorry about that." He didn't really sound very sorry.

"MmmffmMmfmmM!"

"Well you won't have to worry about it too much longer."

"FmMMmmM! Mmmfmm!"

"Your tub's full of hardened Jell-O. Well, not Jell-O brand. Knox unflavored. It's cheaper than the fruity kind, and doesn't leave a stain."

So _**that's**_ why she couldn't move. He'd glued her into her own tub with gelatin. It was at that point that she noticed the row of black votive candles ranged around the edge of the tub. "MmM-WmmMmm-MmFfmmf?"

"Oh, I knew all about your wards. Rae told me." He smirked at her. "Though I'm pretty sure she never had a clue I'd wanted the information so I could sneak in."

"HmYmMmmmMm?"

"I waited until your cat came outside, flew over to it, turned into a flea, and just stayed on him until he went back inside. I figured his aura would mask mine, and it did."

"Wmm-mmFmmM-mmMMmm?"

"You like it? It's a spell I found in one of Rae's books. Tosses you into a different dimension and loses the key."

"MmmWmmhm-MMHMM!?"

"Cause I gotta get rid of you, and I have to do it without leaving a body behind. If Rae found out I … that is … Well. It's down to you or me, and I don't bow out of Alpha position for anybody … especially not a woman."

"Mm-Mmf-MmmM!"

He didn't bother answering. Once all the candles were arranged, he pulled the clothes hamper over beside the tub and laid a large and obviously very old book on it. "You'll have to bear with me here. Languages aren't really my thing, so this may take a while. And it'll probably hurt. A lot."

She closed her eyes, thinking furiously. She couldn't move at all. She couldn't speak. That left her precious little in the way of-

Waaaaaait a minute.

Closing her eyes, she stilled her spirit, opened her mind to the ethereal plane, and sent out a message.

Gar looked up at her, frowning suspiciously.

She repeated her plea.

He stood and moved to just past her head.

She broadcast louder.

"No, no. We can't have that now."

She didn't know what hit her head. She knew only that it hurt. One more blow and everything went black.

. . .

. . .

_8:15pm_

Pain.

Again.

_Fuck my life!_

"Babe? Can you hear me?"

"… John?" _Oh, wait, the gag's gone!_ "John!" She tried to focus on him, but his image kept doubling randomly. "Beast Boy's around here somewhere! Be careful, he-"

"Already done, love. I got th' drop on 'im."

"… You did? Oh." _Ratchet back on the Panic Mode there, Zee._ "Oh, good." She breathed a long, relieved sigh. At that point she noticed that the water was running. "Are you trying to melt the gelatin?"

"Didn't think you'd fancy stickin' aroun' like that, love. Crazy idea, I know, but I've had crazier."

"Um, if you'll turn the water off, I'll get out of this myself."

"Ah. Well, then." He worked the handle and the noise stopped. "There ya go."

Zatanna cleared her mind, then cleared it again when she realized it was still fuzzy. Finally she said, more or less clearly, "Nitaleg Etaropave!"

The contents of the tub shivered violently and then burst into vapor and vanished. Her limbs flopped uselessly as pins and needles struck her hands, feet, and joints. "Damn. How long was I in here? What time is it, anyway?"

John Constantine peered over at a clock. "I make it a quarter past eight."

"That'd be … yeah, it's dark outside. So eight pm."

"Right. It's lucky for you I was sober when you tried t' contact me. I felt it when you conked out, and just about ruined me tires getting' over here."

"I'm SO glad you did!"

"How do you feel?"

"Like shit. All my … everything went to sleep. But he broke in and – and got in around … I think it was about three-thirty this morning. That's, what, sixteen or seventeen hours?"

"About, yeah."

"He really clocked me."

"That barmy bloke stripped you down, too."

She saw that he was correct, and made an exasperated noise. "Was this really necessary?" A few mumbled words, and a dressing gown appeared in her lap. She stood, not wobbling too badly, and slipped it on. Then she cast a healing spell on herself, sighing in relief when everything stopped hurting.

Tapping the ancient tome on the clothes hamper, John asked, "Is this one o' Raven's spellbooks?"

"Yes. He 'borrowed' it so he could banish me to another dimension or some such nonsense."

"It stinks o' black magic." John finished reading the spell, his brow growing darker by the second.

"John? What's wrong?"

"This ain't a banishin' spell."

"… What is it?"

"Best I can tell, it disintegrates your body and imprisons your soul in a gem."

Her eyes scanned the immediate area. "I don't see a gem."

"Nor do I."

A step out of the tub and another over to where he stood put her into a position where she could read the spell. Soon her mouth dropped open. "That evil little bastard!" Turning an eye toward her lover, she asked, "Where is he?"

"On your bed. I put a sleeping spell on him. He never even saw me."

They walked in together. Zatanna held a hand over the green man and mumbled a lengthy phrase. John, listening, nodded to himself. He conjured a set of shackles and bound Gar's hands and feet together. Then he drew a rapier, set it against the changeling's throat, and spoke a Word of power.

Instantly Gar was awake. He took in his surroundings in a flash, tested the shackles for strength, and then stared hard at Zatanna.

She was tapping one foot. "You were trying to destroy me completely. Even my SOUL would have shriveled and wasted away."

He held his silence, but she could feel him straining against the geas, trying to change form.

"What, no witty comeback? Isn't that your stock and trade?"

"Fuck off."

John scoffed, "Oh, he's a clever git, ain't he? You come up with that on your own?"

Zatanna got closer, her eyes boring into his unflinching stare. "How did you knock me out in the first place? I couldn't even tell you were there. I know you can't be invisible."

"I was a fairy midge."

Two blank looks answered him.

"It's the smallest flying insect in the world."

"Great. How does a fairy midge knock me out?"

"It doesn't. But it puts me in a good position to morph into a fifty-kilogram snapping turtle and drop on your head."

John was the first to respond. "Shit." His sword tip flashed, leaving a shallow, dripping cut on one cheek. "You bloody little shit! You could've killed her!"

"I think," interposed Zatanna, "that was the idea."

Pointing the rapier at Gar's heart, John spluttered, "But what the hell for?"

"He said something about being Alpha and losing Raven." She prodded the changeling. "Isn't that right?"

"She's mine." His voice had dropped at least an octave. Muscles bunched and bulged under his skin. "You can't have her!"

"Well YOU'RE a selfish thing, ain't ya? Zee an' Rae are just having a little fun on the side. That's no threat. You can't sodding share?"

Garfield Logan threw his head back and howled, the unearthly sound startling both mages. Long, coarse hairs sprang out and back in different places, fighting the geas.

"Zee … is that thing gonna hold?"

Just as she was saying, "It should," the Beast's primal drive overcame the spell.

. . .

. . .

_Midnight_

A crescent moon hung low in the clear sky over San Francisco, giving plenty of light to see by. To the creature huddled at the base of a tall evergreen, it might as well have been full day.

He had run a long way, a hard way, and his rage was nearly exhausted. Now he just wanted to rest.

Rest.

Relax.

Sleep.

Sleep … and ignore the rusty red stains on his pelt … ignore the dark red, congealed layer under his claws … ignore the bright, coppery taste that yet clung to his teeth and flews.

Yes. Sleep.

Sleep is good.

Tomorrow is a new day.

. . .

. . .


	6. Epilogue C

**Explanations Are Hard**

By Concolor44

. . .

. . .

**Epilogue C – Raven Takes a Stand**

. . .

. . .

_Jump City, some months later, 10:00am_

The sounds coming from Raven's room were very soft. But Garfield Logan's hearing was very acute. He leaned against her door frame for a few heartbeats before emitting a long, dejected sigh.

The sounds stopped. There was a light shuffling susurration and then Raven's door whished open. She looked up at him, her face schooled and utterly neutral as she studied his eyes, before deadpanning, "Must you?"

"I'd, uh, like to talk. Some more."

"I fail to see how talking can resolve the issue."

He huffed in exasperation. "Because I can't really believe you'd just toss our relationship in the crapper! You're smarter than that!"

"I haven't tossed anything anywhere, Garfield."

He winced at the use of his full name. "I don't see it that way."

"You wouldn't." She turned back to her packing.

That she left her door open surprised him. He took a cautious step over the threshold. When a portal to a Dimension O' Deadly DoomTM didn't open up under his feet, he strode in with a little more confidence. Resting his butt against her dresser, he watched her fold and place various articles of clothing for a minute.

His voice tinged with bitterness, he asked, "Moving in with Zee?"

"I'm moving into an apartment."

"… An apartment?"

"Yes, an apartment. Of my own."

"What for? She for sure has the room."

"I will be no one's kept woman. Not even hers."

He was silent for a bit. A diaphanous butterfly shirt of white silk caught his eye. "I remember getting you that shirt."

Holding up the garment in question, her eyes flicked from it to him and back. "As I recall, I bought the shirt. You merely commented on it."

"I told you it looked fantastic on you. And you _**wanted**_ to pay for it, but since I saw it first and suggested it, I opted to pay for it."

She frowned a bit and then nodded. "Yes. That's right. You argued with me."

"And it turned out you didn't have enough money on you, and I did."

Giving him a short eye-roll, she retorted, "Because I'd paid for my dinner."

"Over my objections."

"You've always had that weird, chauvinistic streak."

"I prefer to think of it as chivalrous."

"And I've told you – more times than I like to contemplate – that I don't need to be coddled."

"It's not coddling, Raven. It's called respect."

"Po-tay-to, Po-tah-to."

They fell into a somewhat tense silence for a bit.

"It's not an unusual request, Rae."

She dropped a roll of stockings into the suitcase and turned to face him, arms akimbo. "I'd say 'not unusual' in no way describes anything about either of us. Or do you want to debate that?"

"That's not the point, Rae!"

"I think it is. You want to be exclusive. Now. You said you were fine with a casual relationship when we started." Turning back to the suitcase, she scanned the contents and then nodded. She closed it with a muted click. "You're the one that changed, not me. I have been nothing but one hundred percent honest with you from day one."

"And I was honest with you!"

She sent a scathing glare his way.

"I was! And when I realized my feelings had gotten deeper, I told you. And when it started to bother me that there was someone else who … who shared that space in your heart, I – I told you about that, too. I was totally honest!"

"And when you decided – when you FIRST decided – that you wanted to mark me as your _property_," she practically spat the word, "did you tell me? Or did you leave me foundering in the dark, trying to piece together your real intentions from snide remarks and half-hearted gestures?"

"… I … uh …"

"Exactly."

"I _tried_ to fight it, Rae! I did! Because I knew it was important to you!"

"It still is."

"I know!"

"Then why are we having this conversation?" Carefully, steadily, she walked up to him, gazed up at him. He was taller, now, even than Zatanna, and Nightwing's regimen kept him trained down fine. Of course that was true for all of them, but it was especially noticeable on the formerly short, skinny comic relief of the group. She laid a hand on his sculpted bicep, gave a slight squeeze, and sighed, "I don't like this situation any better than you do, Gar, but facts are facts."

"We can change the facts!"

"Can you change the Beast?"

He grew very, very still.

"Can you convince that primal side of yourself that it doesn't have to be the single, solitary Alpha? That it can share?" She shook her head and turned away, went over and stood beside her bed, leaning lightly on the suitcase. "I cherish the Beast, you know."

"… You mentioned that."

"He's a part of you that I love. Fiercely. I am much more comfortable with the Beast than you are."

He came to stand behind her, let his hands rest lightly on her shoulders. "And I am more comfortable with Rage than you are."

Her pretty mouth twisted in a grimace. "You shouldn't be. No one should be comfortable with-"

"But I am. The Beast can talk to Rage. You know that. They … well, they respect each other."

"Rage doesn't deserve respect."

"That's where you're wrong. Rage is a part of you."

She scoffed. Loudly.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Rae. I always have been. Rage is a part of all of us. You said you cherish the Beast, but he's mostly just primal rage himself."

"He's not a separate person, Gar." She turned and poked his chest. "He's part of you."

"And Rage is part of you. A necessary part." He took her shoulders in his hands again. "She's a part of YOU that I cherish."

"… But not enough to share."

With a long, ragged sigh, he dropped his arms to his sides. "You really do think of it as nothing more than sharing, don't you? Like you're some sort of child's toy. Here, you wanna play with my Barbie? You can take her clothes off if you like."

The slap surprised him. The strength behind it, he mused to himself where he'd fetched up against the wall, surprised him more. He rubbed his jaw. "Ow."

"Get out."

"Look, Rae, I'm sorr-"

"**OUT!"**

"… Okay." Meekly, he got to his feet and stumbled to the door. He was still seeing the occasional star and curlicue. Pausing at her door, he looked back at her, flinching at the red tinge behind her eyes. He gave her a half-hearted wave and disappeared into the hall. The door slid shut behind him; a black mist secured it.

Raven stood still for several seconds before she semi-collapsed on her bed. _Damn it, Gar! Why do you have to be that way?_ She lay there while the minutes stretched out, wondering, regretting, wishing …

Her cell phone (her private cell phone) broke the silence with a ring tone she recognized instantly. She answered before a handful of seconds had passed. "Hi, Zee."

"Whoa," came the well-loved voice, "you sound down. You must have talked with BB again."

"Changeling."

"Oh, right. I think he'll always be Beast Boy as far as my brain is concerned." Sobering up, she continued, "So did you?"

"Talk to him? Yes. For all the good it did. I may as well have been talking to myself in my closet."

There was a long pause before, "I'm so sorry. I wish I could –"

"So do I. But he is what he is, and part of him is an Alpha male that will take on all comers in defense of his territory. That Beast considers me PART of his territory. His. As in personal property."

"Ouch."

"Listen, 'tanna, can we not talk about this right now? I don't need the drama."

"Right. I just wanted to know what time you were planning to execute the move."

"In about a minute."

"Oh. Okay, then. Well, listen, Farrelli's has a brunch menu that is just to die for, and I've been wanting to introduce you to it for months now. What do you say? It sounds like you could use a nice pick-me-up. They have tira misu, made fresh every morning."

"You say the sweetest things. Let me get a shower and I'll meet you there."

"Sounds great. Love you!"

"Love you back."

Raven swiped it off, then turned to her few packages and cases. With a gesture, the lot was encompassed in a black shell. They, and she, winked out.

. . .

. . .


	7. Epilogue D

**Explanations Are Hard**

By Concolor44

. . .

. . .

**Epilogue D – No Winners**

. . .

. . .

_The Watchtower, some months later_

Wonder Woman walked up to where Batman was hunched over a computer console. She stood beside him, looking through the aloxyn chamber at the small figure floating therein. "Any changes?"

He shook his head.

"How's Starfire?"

"She'll live. Kent's been combing through her mind, what there is left of it, trying to piece together the events that led up to the explosion."

"Where's J'onn? Thought that would be his territory."

"Still with the Lanterns."

"Oh."

They didn't say anything for a couple of minutes as Batman methodically entered figures and read the corresponding data. Finally, Diana asked, "Is Dick still with her?"

"Yes."

When no further information was vouchsafed, she continued with, "What is it you're doing there?"

"Kent wanted a full scan of her genome."

"Ah. And you're having to adapt the system."

"It wasn't designed with half-demons in mind."

"No. It wasn't."

His tapping on the keys ramped up for a quarter-minute, then stopped. "Hmm."

"Something?"

"It was already something. We just didn't know what."

"And now?"

"Her mother was a human, supposedly."

"Right. Arella. The Azaratheans took her in after Trigon … well."

"Uh-huh. That's the story, anyway."

"… Meaning what?"

"Raven doesn't have any human DNA."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, it's fairly similar. Close enough for her to pass as a human hybrid. But either the demonic side was strong enough to completely overwhelm it, or Arella wasn't human herself." He cocked an eye up at her. "You know anyone who ever met her?"

Diana shook her head. "Maybe Kent could find out."

"Maybe Nabu just knows. You never can tell with him."

"Eh. Maybe." Gesturing at the monitor, she asked, "So if she's not human, what is she?"

"No idea. Yet."

"Do you think SHE knew?"

"Probably not. I've heard the story several times, once from her own lips, and she was as convinced of its truth as I am of the force of gravity."

She sighed deeply. "I wish there was something left of the Tower."

"STAR Labs sent a team to sift through it. If there's anything left to find, they'll let us know."

Wonder Woman took a step toward the fluid-filled chamber and rested her forehead against the clear surface, staring at the young woman within. _What happened, Raven? You two were doing so well. Where did you and Zee go wrong? Was that even the issue? And why didn't you tell anyone? _The questions piled up in her mind, but answers were in short supply.

. . .

. . .

_The next day_

Flash was on duty again when the call came through. He got everyone available into a conference room inside a minute. "Okay, doc, lay it out."

Doctor Temple Bowman, lead forensic research expert with STAR Labs, adjusted her glasses and stared into the screen. "Batman? When you said to 'sift' through the wreckage, you had no idea how close to the truth that was. There was hardly a piece of it left as big as my foot, and I wear a size four."

"That's what I was afraid of. But you found something?"

"Yes. All the main surveillance systems were so much confetti, as was the distributed network. But Cyborg loved his backup systems, thankfully. He had small, independent units in all the main rooms that kept a running five-minute record from one point of view. We found two that weren't completely destroyed, and got some … ah, useful data from one of them." She reached down and adjusted something. "I'll play it for you. It's the final one hundred and twenty-two seconds on the tape."

A tinny recording began. Batman asked, "No video?"

She paused the sound. "Eh … sort of. But it's so grainy and distorted, even after we ran it through the rectifier, that it doesn't add anything. There's no detail. But … well, anyway, just listen."

"Who's speaking?"

"We identified Cyborg, Starfire, John Constantine, Changeling, Zatanna, Raven, and Vice-Mayor Carlson. There is another man and woman that we haven't positively placed, but I believe them to be Ellen and Brad Vergennes, representatives of the Tripartite Free Church of the Abrahamic Brethren. That's Starfire at first. The quality is bad now, but it's … a little less bad as the tape goes on."

"Church? What church? And Vice-Mayor Carlson?" asked Wonder Woman, surprised. "What was he doing there?"

"Just listen." She started it again.

**Starfire**: … had … business of … city … not just friends! … a good thing!

**Cyborg**: Beats hell outta me why … . . . … even find out about it, much less care.

**Constantine**: We can see to it they don't. None o' their damn …

**V-M**: … genie is out of the bottle, I'm afraid. The … . . . … viral since last night.

**Raven**: And we care about this, why?

**V-M**: The public relations will be horrendous!

**Cyborg**: You have any idea how many times we … . . . … that public's ass?

**Ellen V**: The image of 'superhero' that gets held up to the public should never include perversion!

**Cyborg**: And you'd know all about perversion, wouldn't you, you tight-assed …

**Raven**: Vic. Calm, please.

**Ellen V**: You can't touch me, demon.

**Raven**: Technically, half-demon, or cambion, if you prefer. And I have no need or desire to touch you. I have enough lovers already … but thanks for the offer.

**Ellen V**: Pervert! Demon!

**Zatanna**: Why, Ms. Vergennes, you say that like it's a bad thing.

**Changeling**: Why do you … . . . … any of your business what consenting adults do in … . . . … on their own time? I don't tell you two how to fuck.

**Brad V**: You sick freak! You're probably part demon, too! How is green … . . . … normal?

**Cyborg**: I ask again: Why do you care?

**Changeling**: Yeah, you screwballs were behind that stupid amendment that kept us all from getting married. Why can't you be satisfied with that?

**Ellen V**: Pervert!

**Changeling**: You're a real One-Note Sally, aintcha?

**V-M**: Can we please all just calm …

**Zatanna**: Gar's got a point. It's not up to you or your idiotic God-squad who I love. If I want to love John and Raven, and if Raven wants to love me and Gar, why the blazin' HELL would you care? How could that possibly affect your lives in any way?

**Brad V**: You pollute the culture! By your actions, you lead impressionable youths astray! They look up to you! But you have betrayed us all! Betrayed the city and the children with your wicked lusts and your …

_There is a staccato clacking noise._

**Cyborg**: Hey, what's that thing?

**Brad V**: … immorality and we intend to put a stop to it!

**Constantine**: You barmy git! Put that thing do-

**Brad V**: Ellen, get him!

_A ringing zap sort of sound, vaguely like an electrical discharge, echoes from the speakers._

**Zatanna**: _**John!**_

**V-M**: Brad, for the love of God what are you – AIIH-

_The ringing zap happens again, three times in quick succession, and the Vice-Mayors words are choked off._

**Raven**: _**Zeeeeeee!**_

**Cyborg**: BB! No! You crazy son of a- _ghkk!_

_Loud scuffling sounds, then a crash, then a much bigger crash._

**Raven**: _**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**_

_Static._

Doctor Bowman turned the sound off and then just looked at them solemnly for a moment. "That's all we could get. I'm … I'm very sorry. The … the Tripartite Brethren aren't unknown to us, but … well, we knew about their rhetoric, but it was … we thought it was all just … talk. And posturing. Like those Westboro people."

Superman cleared his throat. "Thank you for your efforts, Doctor. We are in your debt."

She waved it off. "Not even close, as many times as you've helped us. But really … I'm really very sorry." She swallowed and blinked hard. "I'd worked with Zatanna before, myself."

Diana sought Clark's eyes, but found little hope in them. He said, "Thank you again. If you figure out what that weapon was, or find anything else …"

"You'll be the first to know. There's a copy of this record on its way to you now."

"Very well." He broke the connection.

No one said anything for almost a quarter minute. Then Diana rose to her feet. "Bruce?"

"Yes. We'll start with that Church."

Dr. Fate said, "I will re-enter Starfire's mind and see what I can find about that event. Now that I have a focus, it may not be as difficult."

Superman asked, "What about Raven?"

"What about her?" answered Diana.

"The magic residue from the blast indicates it originated with her."

"… And?"

"Shouldn't she be … isolated?"

The Amazon just stared at him for a moment. "I cannot believe you just said that."

"But if she's a danger-"

"I think it's pretty OBVIOUS that she acted in SELF-DEFENSE."

"Well. Yes."

"Also, she's in a coma. We don't know what that weapon did to her."

"We know," interjected Dr. Fate, "that her personal magical signature is almost erased from her mind."

"Which could mean anything."

Flash held up a hand. "And if she never wakes up, what then?"

"Then it won't be an issue, will it?"

"She is dreaming, though," added Dr. Fate.

Heads swiveled toward him. Diana said, "Dreaming?"

"Or something like it. That part of her brain is active."

Superman gave his head a weary shake. "Well I hope her dreams are pleasant."

Batman agreed. "There certainly isn't anything else about this fiasco that is."

. . .

. . .

_End Note: There will be one more Epilogue, and it is a lot less bleak than the others. Then I'll put up a poll to see which one seems most likely._


	8. Bonus Epilogue

**Bonus Epilogue**

By TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne

. . .

. . .

_NOTE: One reader, the esteemed TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne, got a message from his Muse and contributed this Truly Excellent addition to the Parade of Possible Outcomes. Enjoy!_

. . .

**Epilogue E – Believe It**

. . .

. . .

Two sweaty bodies lay next to each other, completely naked and drenched on the hot summer night. The window in the bedroom was open and crickets could be heard chirping outside while a lone motorcycle zoomed down the street outside before turning a corner, the whine of its engine deepened as the Doppler effect did its thing.

Zatanna stared at the ceiling of the small apartment she and Raven rented for the sole purpose of their frequent rendezvous. While Nightwing, Starfire, Cyborg, Wally and Jinx were nonchalant about their relationship, the two women felt awkward having their encounters in the Tower and rented the small downtown apartment for their privacy.

Raven rose from the bed and walked to the window, which had an unobstructed view of Titans Tower. There was a full moon that night and its unearthly light shone on Raven's pale, nude figure. Zatanna sat up with a big smile on her face.

"Gar was supposed to return tonight, right?"

Raven turned and nodded.

"I know he's only been gone for five weeks with the Doom Patrol, but it feels like an eternity. Azar, I've missed him!"

Zatanna smirked. "What are you waiting for? I'm sure he's missed you too."

"But tonight's our night. He knows that, I told him in a message and he said that it was OK, that our reunion could wait until tomorrow."

Zatanna rose from the bed, picked up Raven's clothes and tossed them at her.

"It's OK; you haven't had sex with him in over a month, just go to your boy toy. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"You aren't the only one who has a boyfriend. John's also been away, but he's back. Poor guy, I think he gets a little jealous of you."

"He does?" Raven gasped. "You never told me."

"He's a big boy, and after he gets laid tonight everything will be fine with his universe, and to be honest, in mine too. It's easy to keep men happy."

"You mean all we have to do is fuck their brains out."

"Crude … but accurate." Zatanna replied as Raven got dressed.

"Zee … have you thought about us doing a threesome with Gar? I know John isn't interested."

"No offense, but Gar isn't my type, Raven. And while John is OK with you and me he would never accept me being with another man. He isn't as open as Garfield."

"No offense taken. Gar wouldn't have sex with you; you'd both make love to me. Think about it."

"Funny, isn't it?" Zatanna remarked with a chuckle.

"What do you mean?"

"Our guys are monogamous, but we aren't."

"Women aren't monogamous by nature." Raven replied. "We like strange cock. I know I do."

Zatanna did a double take. "Whoa! You mean you have other male lovers? Why haven't I heard about this before?"

Raven shook her head as she snapped shut the clasp on her cape. "I had some other guys briefly before I became Gar's girlfriend. I do enjoy casual sex; I don't need to be in love to enjoy a good fuck. But for some reason that I don't fully understand I feel compelled to forsake all other men for him."

"Good thing I'm not a man."

Raven gave her lover a kiss. "A man doesn't have those gorgeous legs of yours."

Zee smiled. "But Garfield has something else that I don't."

"You could say that."

Zatanna smile widened. "He's that good, huh?"

"You'd better believe it." Raven replied. "But it's more than just lust when I do it with him … he … touches me. He touches my soul. After having sex with other men I'm satisfied, you know, orgasms and all that. But after I do it with Gar, it's more than that … I feel complete, I feel … dare I say it … happy? Now that I've experienced that, casual sex doesn't measure up."

"Can't argue with that. Too bad I'm so loyal to John, now you got me wondering about Garfield."

Raven kissed her again. "Time for me to go. I'll see you in three days. Be careful out there. I love you."

"You also be careful with the bad guys." Zatanna replied. "I love you too … say hi to Gar for me."

"I will."

Raven vanished into one of her dark portals.

-( - )-

Raven materialized into her room. She reached out with her senses and found him. He was asleep in his room. She also sensed her teammates and a stranger, who was also asleep. Nightwing didn't mention anything about a guest coming to the Tower, but it wasn't unusual to have unexpected guests so she shrugged it off.

She disrobed and stepped into her shower, washing away any traces of her erotic encounter with Zatanna. It wasn't an act of deception, of washing away the evidence. He knew what she did with Zee, and with his sensitive nose he could no doubt smell Zatanna on Raven even after a shower. It was just her way of reminding the Changeling that when she was with him, she was his and his alone.

Raven shampooed her sweaty hair and gently washed her body. After drying her skin she blew her hair dry. She then applied the scented lotion that she knew turned him on. Once she was done she admired her nude figure in the bathroom mirror and smiled. She couldn't wait to see the grin on his face after she slipped into his bed. She noticed that she was already getting moist in anticipation of his well-endowed manhood penetrating her. As she emerged from her bathroom, she saw his portrait that she kept on his nightstand. She couldn't believe how lucky she was to have such an understanding boyfriend, and she intended to show him tonight how just much she appreciated him.

Raven reached for a bathrobe and slipped it on. Again, looking in a mirror she chuckled at the pointlessness of it as she took it off, tossing it on the floor before conjuring a portal and walking into it wearing nothing but her birthday suit.

-( - )-

The portal hummed as it opened in the changeling's room, which was silent. Even though they were approaching their first anniversary as lovers, Raven and Garfield did not "move in" with each other. They would usually rendezvous in her room for sex, and rarely in his, since her bed was bigger than his. Tonight would be an exception.

Garfield still had his bunk beds in his room and Raven levitated, gliding over to his bed with the intention of not waking him until she could wrap her figure around his. Raven could feel the lust course through her body. This was going to be a night to remember, she was going to rock his world and she expected the same from him.

Raven suddenly felt another presence in the room. Her eyes widened with concern, but with the curtains tightly shut the room was very dark and she couldn't see very well. She instinctively reached for her communicator on her absent jeweled belt, to warn the others of an intruder, but withdrew her hand when it only found her bare hip. There would be no time to warn the others, she would have to deal with the intruder herself, even though she was stark naked.

She flicked her wrist and her dark energy found the switch for the ceiling lamp and flicked it on.

She quickly scanned the room and found no sign of the invader. She then looked at the bunk, to check on her lover. The first thing she saw was Garfield's green head, which remained sound asleep on a pillow. Next to him was a blond head, whose eyes blinked as they woke up. The blond, whose body was wrapped around the Changeling, turned to face the demoness, who immediately recognized her.

"Terra?" Raven gasped.

The geomancer shook her slumbering lover, who slowly woke up. "Why did you turn on the lights?" He slurred to the blond as he rubbed his eyes.

Raven stared in horror at the scene before her, oblivious to the fact that she was standing buck naked in the room. Her jaw trembled.

"Terra, what are you doing with Garfield?"

Terra rubbed her eyes. Instead of answering Raven, she turned to the changeling.

"She's pissed! You said that you guys had an open relationship!"

Garfield sat up in the bed. "We do." He looked at Raven. "You said you were gonna be with Zee tonight."

Raven said nothing. Terra looked bewildered. Without saying a word Raven conjured one of her dark hemispheres and sank into the floor. Terra gave Garfield a cross look.

"You said she would be cool with this, that you had her permission to sleep with other women."

"She did say that I could, she insisted on it."

"She sure didn't look like she meant it." Terra retorted. "If looks could kill …"

"She was surprised." He stammered. "She wasn't expecting to find you here."

"No shit, Sherlock. I'm guessing she was planning on a roll in the hay with you tonight."

"She said that she was gonna spend the night with Zee … what the hell is she doing here?" He moaned as he rubbed his head.

-( - )-

Raven's black hemisphere rose from the floor in her room. As soon as it melted away she picked up her robe from the floor and began to pace around the room, her mind racing.

For months she had encouraged Garfield to find a second girlfriend, in large part out of guilt as she had been spending more time in bed with Zatanna than with him. She figured that he would cycle through a series of airheaded fan girls and that he would have no feelings for them. It would just be sex. He wouldn't love them, just her. She figured that it would be a way of thanking him for being so understanding about Zatanna … and to be honest she thought … or was it she hoped … that the bimbos would be few and far between. While Raven found her lover's green skin to be a turn on, she knew most women found it to be … icky. Plus he smelled like a wet dog, which curiously she also found very sexy.

But he wasn't in bed with an airhead. He was sleeping with Terra. Raven quickly dressed and just as she was done he pounded on her door.

"Raven! Are you in there?" Garfield shouted through the door.

She didn't reply. Knowing the code for the room he keyed it in and the door slid open.

The room was empty as he charged in.

"Raven?"

He sniffed the air and could tell that she had been there just moments before he opened the door. His animal senses could feel the telltale sign that she had just teleported away and he instinctively knew where she had gone. He knew where the apartment was and opened her window. Before he could transform into a bird and fly out to Raven's love nest he recalled a promise he made to her. He would not go to the apartment unless she invited him, because it was hers and Zatanna's place. Zatanna never slept in or came to Raven's room, because it was Raven's and Garfield's place.

He desperately wanted to follow her and find out what happened and why she was so upset, but he also knew how important it was to honor his promise to her.

After closing the window he walked back to his room, suddenly realizing that he was still naked. Terra was sitting up in the bed waiting for him.

"So? What did she say?"

"Nothing … she was gone. I think she went back to Zee."

"Should I leave?" Terra asked.

He shook his head. "No, absolutely not. Raven's been nagging me to find someone to sleep with on the nights she's with Zee. And I like sleeping with you … a lot. I'm not going to give up on you."

Terra shook her head. "I always knew she was weird … BB … why do you put up with her crap? I mean what the hell, she's bi and she's with Zatanna of all people. Is she really that good in bed?"

"She is, but that's not why I'm with her."

"You mean you love her?"

"Yeah … I do."

Terra smirked. "I see. Well, get your butt back into bed, because tonight you're mine. I'm gonna make you forget about her, tonight … maybe forever."

"That'll be hard to do."

Terra drew him close and kissed him passionately. "You won't have to share me with anyone."

He looked deep into her eyes. "I know." Their lips met as Terra crawled on top on him. "I love you." He murmured between kisses.

"I love you too, my green bean, and I'm keeping you this time."

-( - )-

Zatanna was finishing tidying up the apartment when she heard the familiar hum. She turned around as the hemisphere melted away, revealing a clearly disturbed Raven.

"Are you ok? … Wait … Is Garfield OK? Did something happen to him?" She asked in an alarmed tone.

"He's fine, he's home, safe and sound." Raven heaved a deep sigh. "I found him in bed with another woman."

Zatanna looked confused. "Wait a minute. Why are you upset? You told him to do that."

"Yes, I did."

"And tonight we were supposed to be together, so it makes sense he was with another woman tonight. Raven, you've been whining about how he refused to find a second girlfriend, and now he has. There's something you're not telling me. What's wrong?"

Raven sat down on the edge of the now made bed.

"He was in bed with Terra. He had sex with her."

Zatanna paused as she processed what Raven told her.

"The Geomancer, right? Isn't that a good thing? They know each other, so it won't be a shallow fling. They have feelings for each other, real feelings, right?"

Raven face palmed. "I'm a fucking hypocrite."

"You're … jealous?" Zatanna asked in utter disbelief.

Her face still buried in her palm, Raven nodded vigorously. "I've always thought of myself as an honest person, but I'm a phony."

"Raven, if he has feelings for her, how can you not let him …"

Raven leaped to her feet, her eyes glowing red.

"Because he's my fucking man!"

"Raven, I don't get it. You share me with John, and you've never been jealous of him."

"That's different."

"I don't see how it is."

Raven turned her head and looked her lover in the eyes.

"You were his first. He's letting me borrow you."

Zatanna's nostrils flared. "I am not his property. I don't need his permission to sleep with anyone else, man or woman!"

Raven shook her head. "Don't kid yourself, Zee. You never would have gotten involved with me without his approval."

"Bullshit!"

"Zee, you wouldn't forsake him for me. You know you wouldn't.

Zatanna heaved an exasperated sigh. "This isn't about me and John. This is about you and Garfield."

"And Terra."

"And Terra … Raven … you love two people … why can't he?"

"I don't know … I … I don't want to share him … he's mine."

Zatanna rubbed her forehead. "Well, you know what this means, don't you?"

Raven nodded. "I have to make a choice between you and Garfield. I can't tell him to not sleep with Terra when I sleep with you."

"Or … you could accept Terra … Raven … you told him to sleep with other women."

"Sleep, yes … love them, no. Zee … she was his first love … I'm not going take a back seat to Terra."

"So you're afraid that he'll love her more than he loves you?"

Raven sighed. "I'm pathetic. I can't accept Terra or any other woman, now that I think about it."

"Looks like you're at an impasse."

Raven sniffled as tears dripped down her face. "I guess I should go tell him my decision."

Zatanna pulled Raven into a deep kiss. "Don't be afraid, you know I'll always be there for you."

"I know, that's why this is going to be so hard."

-( - )-

When Garfield woke up the next morning, Terra was gone. She left a note for him on the nightstand: "Call me after you talk to Raven. And by the way, last night was fantastic; we were made for each other, I just know it."

Garfield dropped the note on the floor. It was true, Terra was an amazing lover … even better than Raven, and that said a lot. And he had feelings for the blond, he did since the day he met her. But did he love her as much as he loved Raven? Was it possible to love her even more? He felt so confused.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," he shouted.

The door slid open and the dark Titan walked in. She looked forlorn and worried. The Changeling approached her and gave her a hug and a tender kiss

"Raven, I'm sorry, I should have told you. I know how you feel about Terra, I just didn't know how to break it to you that I …"

She raised her hand to silence him, covering his lips with her fingertips. "You don't owe me any explanations. That was the deal. We have an open relationship. We don't need each other's permission to have other lovers."

He nodded. "Yeah, I know; that was the deal."

He sat down on the edge of his lower bunk and she sat next to him.

"How long?" She asked.

"Terra joined the Doom Patrol on the mission. She asked me if it was true that you're bi and also in a relationship with Zatanna. I explained to Terra that we have an open relationship."

"Let me guess, she slept with you that night?"

"Uh … good guess."

"Has she asked you to dump me for her?"

He stared at the floor. "You know I'd never do that."

"I suppose that's true. But I have a problem."

"You do?"

"Yes, I do. Unlike you, I just learned that I don't like to share, in fact, I hate it; which makes me a hypocrite as I expect you to share me with Zatanna."

"You know I have no problem with sharing you with Zee."

"I know, but this situation is unfair to you. It's completely one sided. You also love Terra and enjoy sharing your body with her and I want you to stop, even though I don't want to give up on Zee. The bottom line is either I commit to you, exclusively, or I let you have Terra as another lover… Gar, I can't share you with Terra … I'm going to have to end our open relationship. It's the only honest thing I can do."

Garfield's shoulders slumped and he dropped his head.

"I see … you're dumping me for Zatanna. I'm not happy with your decision … but I understand."

Raven shook her head. "No, you don't understand. You don't understand at all."

"I don't?"

"I … I just broke up with Zee." Her voice cracked.

Garfield leaped to his feet.

"What? Why? Raven, I know you love her."

"Yes, I do love her … but you have to understand … I love you more, I love you more than anything in the world. And I'll be damned before I share you with anyone, especially with Terra."

"So … we're talking exclusive? I mean, that's not really your nature."

"Actually, I now realize that it is my nature. I don't want to share you."

He looked upon her with utter disbelief.

"So you're asking me to break up with Terra?"

"Correct."

"That's asking for a lot. She isn't casual, I have feelings for her."

"I know you do. We'll be exclusive. You will be my only lover."

He gave her that goofy smile she always loved.

"So, we're going to be more than just fuck buddies now?"

"Gar, we were always more than that."

He cupped her cheek with his palm.

"Do you love me, do you _really_ love me?"

"You know that I do." She replied.

He pulled her into a kiss.

"Ok then, you want exclusive? Then I'm upping the ante … if I forsake all others, will you have my cubs?"

The question caught her by surprise and her expression showed it.

"Do you really want _me_ to be the mother of your children?"

His expression became serious. "Yeah … I do."

Raven smiled and a single tear dripped down her cheek. "I will have your cubs." She replied. "Our cubs." She quickly corrected herself.

He took her hand and kissed it.

"OK, I'm in."


	9. Epilogue F

**Explanations Are Hard**

By Concolor44

_. . ._

_. . ._

**_NOTE: There is a Poll up on my Profile. Please vote today!_**

. . .

. . .

**Epilogue F – Idyll**

. . .

. . .

_Haute-Savoie, France, four years later_

The massive mansion sat on a slight grade of brilliant green grass, backed up against a dark gray cliff of schist that towered a good hundred and fifty meters over the structure. In front, the wide sweep of alpine meadow came to an abrupt end as the declivity resumed, falling another four hundred meters before meeting the upper end of the valley below. To the right of the expansive dwelling, a waterfall burst from a hole in the rock and plunged straight down to help form the lively brook that fed farms farther down the way.

The view from the portico was nothing short of magnificent. Long sweeps of wildflower-covered slopes led to the intense green of vineyards, wheat fields, and orchards, bracketed by a pair of narrow roadways on either side of the valley. The shining ribbon that marked the swift brook meandered past it all, thinning to a hair in the distance. The sun would soon set, and western shadows grew long.

No roads – not even a footpath – led to the shelf upon which the mansion sat. Unless one rappelled down from above or free-climbed the tall rock face below, the only way to get there was to fly. Fortunately, that didn't prove to be a problem for the two women who lived there.

Nor was it a problem for the shape-shifter who had just come in sight of the place.

Currently in the form of a dragon, his shadow no longer sent the valley's inhabitants fleeing in terror. They would stop what they were doing (some of them) and stare or point (some of them) as the immense green creature floated by overhead, chuckling or shaking their heads before returning to their business.

Nearing Shadowcrest, Garfield Logan swapped forms, falling toward the greensward as a falcon, and resuming his human form upon landing, knowing he had to stop near the lip of the shelf, the manse itself being heavily warded. He had no desire to get up close and personal with lightning, or disintegration fields, or extra-dimensional portals, or any of the other cute little surprises Zatanna liked to hide around the grounds. It was a short walk to the defined boundary, where he stopped and waited.

Nor did he have to wait long. The front doors opened, and a miniature, blonde version of Raven shot out toward him. Grinning widely, he held his arms out in welcome.

"Daddy-daddy-daddy!" The little girl all but slammed into him, forcing him to spin to absorb the impact.

"Hey, there, Smidgen! You get cuter every time!"

"Daddy! You been gone too long!"

"I know, honey, but I'm back again now."

"You gonna stay dis time?"

"We'll see."

"If you don't, tan I go wiff you?"

"We'll talk to your Mommy about that."

She got comfortable on his hip, worked a tiny bit of magic on the ward-ring, and Gar walked the rest of the way to the huge structure.

Raven and Zatanna met him in the foyer. Neither one was smiling.

He stopped about three meters in front of them. "Hello, ladies."

The empath cleared her throat. "Your message was rather cryptic."

"I figured it would just be easier to show you than to try to explain."

"Can Daddy stay dis time?"

Raven met her daughter's eyes and then frowned at Gar. "Did you …"

"Hey, Felicity brought it up. I can't help it if I'm lovable."

"Actually, you can."

"After all those years of you telling me to quit being obnoxious, I finally take your advice and this is the thanks I get?"

His smile was infectious, but she successfully fought down her own. "Be that as it may, you know why we …"

"Yes, yes, I know. I get it. I got it the first fifteen times."

"Then what's the point in …"

Zatanna interrupted, "Hey, if you two want to polish off your 'Champion Curmudgeon' badges, do it later. John's gonna have dinner ready before long, and I don't want my duck cold." She waved at Gar. "Go ahead and say your piece."

Gar placed Felicity on the floor and gave the _Magus_ an elaborate bow. "You are a rock of good sense, O Wise One." Urging his daughter in Raven's direction, he continued, "So I think I'll just go ahead and give you the demonstration you've all been waiting for."

In her best dry monotone, Raven deadpanned, "You can demonstrate maturity?"

His eye glinting merrily, he nodded. "Why, yes. Yes, I can."

Felicity floated up into Raven's arms and turned to watch her father. "Whatcha gonna do, Daddy?"

"Observe."

He backed away three paces, placed his palms together in front of his chest, and closed his eyes.

"Ooo, meditation," remarked Raven, dryly. "How novel."

"Oh, ye unbeliever. Just watch."

Growing very still, he began a low, rumbling sound deep in his chest. Then he began to swell.

Normally (and Raven knew this better than anyone else) his transformations took a tiny fraction of a second. He could go from flea to whale to kangaroo to albatross in the blink of an eye. There was only one form he had ever taken that came on slowly, and as she realized what was happening, Raven called up her soul-self as a shield around her and her daughter and her lover.

Garfield ignored that. Over some dozen seconds, he nearly doubled his height, and his mass increased ten-fold. Dense, coarse hair covered his body. His snout grew long, but in a cat-like way. Black, needle-pointed claws erupted from his fingers.

Those claws had been known to cut through armor plate on occasion, and Raven was taking no chances with them. She couldn't quite believe that he had used such subterfuge to gain her trust and get inside the mansion, but she'd make sure it didn't happen again. Zatanna also was muttering something under her breath in preparation for the attack she knew would come.

When his transformation into The Beast was complete, Gar gave his head a shake … and cracked his knuckles. Then he sat and folded his legs into the lotus position.

Raven's mouth fell open. "Wait a minute!"

He just grinned at her (a rather unsettling sight, considering how much ivory that showcased). Closing his eyes, he touched his thumbs to his middle fingers and made a sound sort of like "Ommm" … that is if, say, a large piece of construction equipment could say "Ommm".

Zatanna stared in wonder. "You mean to tell me that you got The Beast under control?"

He nodded. His mouth's current configuration didn't lend itself to oratory.

"Holy shit! That's … that's incredible." Looking at Raven, she said, "Do you have any idea how _**powerful**_ that makes him now?"

"Um, yeah, I've got a pretty clear notion of that: Very."

Gar unfolded himself and lay down on his back, then slowly resumed his human shape. "I'm still workin' on being able to talk while in Beast form. He doesn't want to give up his fangs, but I can't make myself understood that way."

Felicity jumped on his belly, knocking some of the air out of his lungs. "Do it again, Daddy!"

Never being one who could deny any request of his daughter's, he quickly regained his larger self. The little girl leaned over into his face and cackled. "Gwammaw! What big teeff you have!"

Raven rolled her eyes and walked over. "I don't think he qualifies as 'Big-Bad' anymore, kidlet."

He scooped her off his chest and held her straight up in one paw. Then he rolled himself up and pressed into a one-armed hand-stand, using her as a counterbalance.

Zatanna's eyes were huge. "You really _**have**_ gained control over it."

Flipping upward and landing on his feet, he held his giggling daughter out to Raven, then shrank back to normal. "Actually, no. I think 'control' is the wrong word."

A cocked eyebrow was Raven's response. "What word would you use, then? Because your _lack_ of control was what led to our current, ah, less-than-optimal situation."

"We struck an agreement."

"What, you and The Beast? You're treating him as a separate entity now?"

"The same way you think about Wrath or Desire or Recklessness as separate entities, even though they really aren't. He's a part of me, but we usually have different goals and motivations."

"You can say that again." She moved over and wrapped an arm around Zatanna.

Gar walked up to the two women and dropped to one knee. Taking Zatanna's hand, he said, "The Beast wants to formally request your forgiveness."

"Um … well …"

"He's not really _expecting_ it, though. It'd be nice, but he'll understand if you're a bit … wary."

"Maybe I'd be somewhat less wary if I knew what brought this on."

"It's really very straightforward." His other hand sought one of Raven's. "The Beast had identified Raven as its mate."

"Yeah. We know. And I was in the way."

"Yes. But doing things his way didn't work out the way he'd thought it would."

"I don't recall him doing a whole lot of 'thinking'. Mostly just attacking."

"He's a simple soul. Things aren't complicated. If it's a threat, he takes it out."

The _Magus_ gave a small, involuntary shudder and mashed that memory back into its hole.

"But if it's something important to him, he will do whatever is necessary to protect it." Looking deep into Raven's eyes, he said, "You are that important to him."

Those violet eyes widened considerably.

"It took me a while to get to the point where he'd listen to me, and longer than that to get him to understand certain, ah, nuances of our relationship, but once he got it … well, as you can see, he's on board."

"So he doesn't have a problem with Zee now?"

"What he had a problem with was being separated from you." Rising to his feet, he squeezed both their hands. "What he came to understand is that you and Zee are a package deal."

A narrowing of Zatanna's eyes led to, "Whoa. Hold up. He's not thinking I'll …"

"No-no-no. _**He's**_ not interested in you, because _**I'm**_ not interested in you … ah, that way. But I **LOVE** Raven. He gets that, although his responses are a lot more basic than what we think of as 'love'. Anyway, we talked it over – a lot – and he now considers you to be sort of an extended part of Raven."

"What about John?"

"… What about him?"

"The Beast doesn't see him as a threat, does he?"

"Is John interested in Raven?"

"Oh, my word, no!"

"Then there's no problem. As long as he doesn't attack any of us, he's just furniture as far as The Beast is concerned."

"But I'm not?"

He shook his head emphatically. "You're … necessary. She needs you, so now you fall under the umbrella of his protection."

"… That's a far cry from last year."

"I know. And don't think it wasn't a hell of a lot of work."

Raven frowned at him. "Language."

"Eep. Sorry." He lightly scratched Felicity's head. "Pay no attention to Daddy's potty-mouth."

"I know what dat word means, Daddy. Mommy goes dere sometimes."

"Eh-heh. Right." He gave Raven a hopeful look. "So …"

"Yes?"

"So I was wondering if I could move back in. You know, not being a terminally terrifying, Force-of-Nature-level death machine anymore."

She had to smile at his terminology. "You _**know**_ I've missed having you in my bed. And Felicity's missed having her Daddy around all the time."

"I figured that."

"I guess we could do a trial period."

"I'd appreciate that more than you can possibly know."

Zatanna added, "I think I'll keep myself warded, though. Just in case. At least for a while."

"Sure, if it helps you sleep. But you need to understand that The Beast is now every bit as invested in protecting you as he is in protecting Raven or Smidge. God help anyone who attacks any of you if I'm nearby."

Raven snaked her free arm around his waist. "I guess a little extra site security wouldn't go amiss." And she kissed his cheek.

. . .

. . .

**_End Note: OKAY, PEOPLES, there's a Poll up on my Profile. Do your civic duty and VOTE!_**


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